Rheumatoid Arthritis

Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic, inflammatory type of arthritis. It is characterized by swelling, inflammation and, in severe cases, joint deformity. It can occur at any time from infancy on, affecting not only joints, but vital organs as well. Rheumatoid arthritis is far less common than other forms of arthritis and can be successfully controlled when symptoms are brought to the doctor's attention promptly.

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) can greatly affect your ability to move and do normal tasks. RA can appear at any age, but most patients are between the ages of 30 and 50. About two million Americans have rheumatoid arthritis. Among those affected, about one-third are free of symptoms for long periods of time. When left untreated, rheumatoid arthritis can lead to deformity and the destruction of joints.

What is Rheumatoid Arthritis?

Rheumatoid arthritis is best described as an autoimmune disease. This means the body attacks its own tissues. In RA, two things are happening in the joints. First, the immune system causes inflammation in the synovial membrane, called synovitis. The synovial membrane is the thin tissue that lines the inside of all joints. At first this causes extra fluid, swelling, and oozing clots in the joint. An inflammatory exudate called pannus forms on the inside of the joint capsule.

Second, the synovitis itself causes other problems in the joint. The blood cells and the swollen membranes release chemicals into the synovial fluid (the lubricating fluid of the joint) that can break down or damage the tissues of the joint. This breakdown can cause permanent damage to the cartilage, bone, ligaments, and tendons inside and around the joint. The structural damage usually happens in the first to third year of the disease. The synovitis can come and go, but the structural damage progresses. As a result, the joint becomes painful and very difficult to move.

In its early stages, the affected joints become swollen, increasingly painful and abnormally warm. Research indicates that almost all the joints that will be affected by rheumatoid arthritis show symptoms in the first year of the disease. This means that each joint may continue to get worse. In some people, RA may go into remission for long periods of time. In others, the disease gets progressively worse and leads to the destruction of joints.

Rheumatoid Arthritis affects the Whole Body

Most people think of RA as a disease of the joints, but it is actually a systemic disease. That means that it affects the whole body. Rheumatoid arthritis can show up in other organs such as the heart, blood vessels, lungs, and eyes. RA may occur in joints and other organs, and sometimes it occurs only in other organs. Rheumatoid arthritis works somewhat differently outside the joints, but the results are still damage to the tissues, pain and loss of function.