Rheumatoid arthritis is a serious and chronic inflammation of the joints that can affect other organs as well. It usually begins in the young to middle adult years and strikes up to three times as many women as men. Typically affected are the joints of the hands and feet but can also involve the hips, knees, elbows and other joints. Severe cases may cause inflammation in other parts of the body, including the lungs, blood vessels and nerves.
No one knows what really causes rheumatoid arthritis, but experts suspect it has something to do with an autoimmune reaction. The immune system gets off balance and attacks the body's own tissues. Hormones may also play a role, since more women than men get the disease.
What happens in the joints:
The pattern and severity of the disease vary greatly from person to person. Rheumatoid arthritis attacks the lining of the joints. The joints become warm, swollen, tender and difficult to move. If the inflammation continues, it can destroy cartilage, bone, tendons and ligaments. The result is permanent joint deformity and disability.
Signs and symptoms:
Pain, warmth, redness and soreness in the joints. Morning stiffness and lasting more than an hour. Swelling or pain in several joints, on both sides of the body. Fatigue, weakness and nonspecific aching. Low lever and enlarged lymph nodes. Loss of joint function. Inflammation of eyes, mouth, blood vessels, heart, lungs and nerves. Chest pain in the ribs, sternum and spine.
Some risk factors:
Being a women, heredity, smoking and infection. Some health care professionals believe that a buildup of toxins in the joints, such as heavy metals, undigested proteins form the gut may cause the immune system to attack both joints and organs.
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