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Rheumatoid arthritis

Rheumatoid arthritis RA is a form of arthritis that causes pain, swelling, stiffness and loss of function in your joints. It can affect any joint but is common in the wrist and fingers. Mostly women than men get rheumatoid arthritis. It often starts in middle age and is most common in older people. Rheumatoid Arthritis is an autoimmune disorder which can affect body parts besides joints, such as your eyes, mouth and lungs. Rheumatoid arthritis can affect many non-joint structures, such as –eyes, skin, lungs, heart, kidneys , bone marrow, blood vessels and nerve tissue.
Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic disease causing joint pain, stiffness, swelling,decreased movement of joints. Small joints of hands and feet are most frequently affected. The stiffness in the joints is often worse in the morning, which may last for hours or whole day. The pain may improve with joints movement. Rheumatoid arthritis occurs when your immune system attacks the synovium — the lining of the membranes that surround your joints.The resulting inflammation thickens the synovium, which can eventually destroy the cartilage and bone within the joint.

Symptoms

  1. Low fever, fatigue
  2. Loss of energy
  3. Loss of appetite and weight loss
  4. Dry eyes
  5. Lumps called as rheumatoid nodules

Risk factors

    Obesity. People who are overweight or obese appear to be at somewhat higher risk of developing rheumatoid arthritis, especially in women diagnosed with the disease when they were 55 or younger.
  1. Women are more likely than men to develop rheumatoid arthritis.
  2. Age. Rheumatoid arthritis can occur at any age, but it most commonly begins between the ages of 40 and 60.
  3. Family history.
  4. Smoking. Cigarette smoking increases your risk of developing rheumatoid arthritis
  5. Environment
  6. Obesity. People who are overweight or obese appear to be at somewhat higher risk of developing rheumatoid arthritis, especially in women diagnosed with the disease when they were 55 or younger

Diagnosis and Tests

  1. CRP ( C – reactive protein test)
  2. ANA ( Antinuclear Antibody test)
  3. ESR
  4. Synovial fluid analysis
  5. Rheumatoid factor ( RF)test