Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic type of arthritis. Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a long-term disease that leads to inflammation of the joints and surrounding tissues. It can also affect other organs. Early symptoms of RA include fatigue, joint pain, and stiffness. As it progresses, rheumatoid arthritis symptoms may feel like the flu, with itchiness, muscle aches, and loss of appetite
About 1% of the world's population is affected by rheumatoid arthritis, women three times more often than men. Onset is most frequent between the ages of 40 and 50, but people of any age can be affected. It can be a disabling and painful condition, which can lead to substantial loss of functioning and mobility if not adequately treated. It is a clinical diagnosis made on the basis of symptoms, physical exam, radiographs (X-rays) and lab reports.
Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic disease, characterized by periods of disease flares and remissions. The causes of rheumatoid arthritis are unknown, although there may be a genetic component. Early and effective rheumatoid arthritis treatment can improve the prognosis and may help prevent joint and bone destruction associated with RA. It is an autoimmune disease, which means the body's immune system mistakenly attacks healthy tissue. Infection, genes, and hormone changes may be linked to the disease RA usually affects joints on both sides of the body equally. Wrists, fingers, knees, feet, and ankles are the most commonly affected.
The disease often begins slowly, usually with only minor joint pain, stiffness, and fatigue.
Joint symptoms may include:
Other symptoms include:
Rheumatoid arthritis typically manifests with signs of inflammation, with the affected joints being swollen, warm, painful and stiff, particularly early in the morning on waking or following prolonged inactivity. Increased stiffness early in the morning is often a prominent feature of the disease and typically lasts for more than an hour. Gentle movements may relieve symptoms in early stages of the disease. These signs help distinguish rheumatoid from non-inflammatory problems of the joints, often referred to as osteoarthritis or "wear-and-tear" arthritis. In arthritis of non-inflammatory causes, signs of inflammation and early morning stiffness are less prominent with stiffness typically less than 1 hour, and movements induce pain caused by mechanical arthritis. In RA, the joints are often affected in a fairly symmetrical fashion, although this is not specific, and the initial presentation may be asymmetrical.
As the pathology progresses the inflammatory activity leads to tendon tethering and erosion and destruction of the joint surface, which impairs range of movement and leads to deformity.
Rheumatoid arthritis as a systemic disorder affects other body parts than joints such as skin, lungs, kidneys, heart and blood vessels, eyes, liver, blood, nerves etc.
Prognosis (The expected course of a disease):RA decreases life expectancy by 3 to 7 yr, with heart disease, infection, and GI bleeding accounting for most excess mortality; drug treatment, cancer, as well as the underlying disease may be responsible. At least 10% of patients are eventually severely disabled despite full treatment. Whites and women have a poorer prognosis, as do patients with subcutaneous nodules, advanced age at disease onset, inflammation in ≥ 20 joints, early erosions, cigarette smoking, high ESR, and high levels of RF or anti-CCP
I mrs lavanya under treatment for rheumatoid arthritis for 12 months and now cured of my problem after treatment at dr morlawars. iam from manchiryal and i first visited dr.ramesh clinic for all tests and after the tests i was diagnosed as rheumatoid arthritis charged about 50000 and here i got better improvement with low cost.--- LAVANYA.
