Rheumatoid Arthritis
Few people know that the condition ‘arthritis’ is actually a blanket term for over 200 different diseases that involve joint inflammation and pain. One of the most common and potentially disabling forms of arthritis is known as rheumatoid arthritis. In this article, we’ll talk about some of the basics of rheumatoid arthritis so that you can more accurately understand the prevalence and causes of the disease.
Rheumatoid arthritis can take place in many parts of the body. Many joints of the body can be affected by rheumatoid arthritis, as well as additional body parts including the heart, lungs, and blood. Rheumatoid arthritis is common in roughly 2.1 million Americans, accounting for roughly one percent of all American adults. The disease is caused by an inflammation of the lining of a joint, which can cause the patient to feel pain and stiffness in the joint, as well as swelling, a feeling of heat, and a red tint to the skin. Additionally, inflammation caused by rheumatoid arthritis can also affect the body’s tear ducts, salivary glands, and the linings of the human heart and lungs.
The disease may be life-long, with those stricken experiencing waves of severity ranging from periods of practically no pain to intense suffering with little to no warning. The disease more often than not is found to be happening in those between ages 20 and 50, and one may be stricken with rheumatoid arthritis if they experience swelling, redness, tenderness, and a warmth of a joint. This feeling may be common on both joints, for example, if one experiences a problem in their left elbow, their right elbow may also feel the same if rheumatoid arthritis is present. If stricken, the pain and soreness usually lasts for a long period of time, and the patient may feel the same symptoms in additional parts of the body.
The disease is actually caused by the body’s immune system. Sometimes the immune system may malfunction and mistake joint tissue as an foreign body. When that takes place, the body will do its best to destroy the joint tissue, which leads to the symptoms associated with rheumatoid arthritis. An exact reason for this problem has not been discovered yet, but scientists in the field contend that genetics and heredity may have an important role.
When diagnosing a case of rheumatoid arthritis, doctors often employ the use of a blood test that checks for the front of an antibody known as a ‘rheumatoid factor’. If the antibody is present, there is a good chance that the individual is stricken with rheumatoid arthritis. Between seventy and ninety percent of all rheumatoid arthritis sufferers have this agent in their bloodstream, so it can supply a fairly accurate appraisal of a person’s risk of rheumatoid arthritis. Doctors may also carry out x-rays to ascertain exactly how much of the joint tissue has been affected by rheumatoid arthritis.
If you have symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis that last for two weeks or longer, it’s important to talk to your doctor about the symptoms to find out if you have the disease.
Rheumatoid Arthritis News
Too Many Rheumatoid Arthritis Patients Inactive, Study Finds
THURSDAY, Jan. 26 (HealthDay News) -- More than 40 percent of rheumatoid arthritis patients live a sedentary life, a new study finds.