Rheumatoid Arthritis - What is it?
Rheumatoid Arthritis - What is it?
Rheumatoid Arthritis is undoubtedly the most debilitating of the
group of arthritic disease conditions known. The disease begins
with aching joints and culminates in deformed joints, which
severely compromises the quality of life to the extent that the
simplest of procedures liking walking become almost impossible
to pursue.
This disease predominantly effects women and is a debilitating
and chronic disease that is characterized by increased activity
of the immune system in which the joint lining (better known as
the synovial membrane) becomes inflamed. The immune system
becomes overactive and fails to recognize 'self' and the body
attacks it's own cells causing widespread damage and destruction
of the joints.
Demographically the disease effects women three times as
frequently as men and is usually contacted between twenty to
fifty years of age. Rheumatoid Arthritis is characterized by a
pain in several joints at the same time or a pain in joints on
both sides of the body. For instance, if both wrists are painful
this might indicate rheumatoid arthritis. The joints may red and
swollen. Also if joints are painful throughout the night, this
too could well be a sign. People suffering with this disease
also experience morning stiffness which doesn't subside after 30
minutes.
Causes of rheumatoid arthritis
The disease of Rheumatoid Arthritis is essentially an
inflammation of the joints of the body. The movable joints of
the body are covered by a membrane known as the 'synovial
membrane' which is usually invaded by the white blood cells
during 'activity' and these white blood cells which routinely
fight bacteria and viruses usually move out from the blood
stream into the synovial membrane. They cause the synovial
membrane to get inflamed - the condition is known as synovitis.
It has been generally accepted that Rheumatoid Arthritis can run
in families and although the disease is not inherited -the gene
for Rheumatoid Arthritis is inherited - so the susceptibility of
contacting Rheumatoid Arthritis is more.
The rheumatoid joint
Synovitis is the inflammation of the synovial membrane which
covers the joints and this leads to the release of proteins over
a period of time which in turn leads to thickening of the
synovial membrane and finally destruction of bones, cartilages,
tendons and ligaments which in turn leads to deformation of the
joint.