Rheumatoid arthritis - What is it?
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Loading ...Rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune disease, it is caused by the immune system attacking the joints. Autoimmune simply means that the body is attacking its own tissue. This form of arthritis causes the lining of the joints to become inflamed because white blood cells move into the synovial membrane (the membrane around the joints) causing this lining to become inflamed.
Rheumatoid arthritis is an extremely painful disease that can cause joint pain, stiffness, swelling and even the loss of use of that joint due to destruction of cartilage and bone surrounding the joint. Rheumatoid arthritis can also affect other organs in the body, and so is occasionally referred to as rheumatoid disease.
The actual cause of rheumatoid arthritis is unknown; there is quite a lot of research being conducted to try to work out the exact cause. Osteoarthritis is a disease with similar symptoms to rheumatoid arthritis but is generally caused by wear and tear to the joints.
Although the actual cause of rheumatoid arthritis is unknown it sometimes affects more than one person in the same family, suggesting a possible hereditary link. Some scientists believe that a specific bacteria or infections may trigger a person’s body to develop rheumatoid arthritis.
The environment also affects whether or not you will develop this form of arthritis, scientists recently have discovered that there is a link between smoking and rheumatoid arthritis. This disease comes and goes, the disease can either be in an active stage or in remission. During remission the symptoms of the disease are not apparent, but the condition can flare back up at any time resulting in a relapse.
There is currently no known cure for rheumatoid arthritis, the curing of this type of arthritis focuses mainly upon the treatment of it. The treatment involves several different medications, along with some joint exercises to give relief from the symptoms. Two types of medication are used, first a fast acting pain reliever is given such as aspirin and cortisone, and next much slower acting drugs are given, such as methotrexate, which promote remission.
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