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Rheumatoid Arthritis
Rheumatoid arthritis is an inflammatory disease that may affect many joints in the body.
Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic disease, mainly characterized by inflammation of the lining, or synovium, of the joints. It can lead to long-term joint damage, resulting in chronic pain, loss of function and disability.
Rheumatoid arthritis may start in any joint but ferquently affects the smaller joints in the hands.
Joint involvement is always symmetrical meaning that joints on both sides (right & left) of the body are affected at the same time.
The disease can also affect the eyes, lungs, heart and blood vessels.
Common symptoms include:
- Fatigue.
- Joint stiffness, particularly in the morning and when sitting for long periods of time.
- Flu-like symptoms, including a low-grade fever.
- Rheumatoid nodules, or lumps of tissue under the skin. These appear in about one-fifth of people with RA.
- Loss of appetite, depression, weight loss, anemia, cold and/or sweaty hands and feet.
- Involvement of the glands around the eyes and mouth, causing decreased production of tears and saliva.
The exact cause of RA is not known but we do know that the immune system plays an important part in RA.
In a healthy immune system the white blood cells produce anitbodies that protect the body against foriegn substances.
In Rheumatoid arthritis the immune system mistakes healthy tissue for a foriegn invader and attacks it.
In addition to the inflammation of the synovial lining the surrounding muscles and tendons also are weakend.
TNF, a proinflammatory cytokine produced by immune system plays a crucial role in causing joint inflammation
Recently, Anti-TNF therapy has been found to be useful in the treatment of Rheumatoid arthritis.
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