Rheumatoid arthritis

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a serious, painful, and long lasting (chronic) disease. It causes pain, swelling and stiffness in the joints.^[1] RA was first recognized around 1800 by Dr. Augustin Jacob Landré-Beauvais.^[2]

Rheumatoid arthritis
A hand severely affected by rheumatoid arthritis. This degree of swelling and deformation does not typically occur with current treatment.
Medical specialty	Rheumatology, Immunology
Symptoms	Warm, swollen, painful joints[3]
Complications	Low red blood cells, inflammation around the lungs, inflammation around the heart[3]
Usual onset	Middle age[3]
Duration	Lifelong[3]
Causes	Unknown[3]
Diagnostic method	Based on symptoms, medical imaging, blood tests[3][4]
Differential diagnosis	Systemic lupus erythematosus, psoriatic arthritis, fibromyalgia[4]
Medication	Pain medications, steroids, Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs[3]
Frequency	0.5–1% (adults in developed world)[5]
Deaths	30,000 (2015)[6]

The condition usually affects the hands, feet and wrists. It is an autoimmune disease. This means the immune system (which usually fights infection) attacks the cells that line the joints by mistake, making the joints swollen, stiff and painful.^[1] Women are two to three times as likely as men to get rheumatoid arthritis. Most cases of RA occur in people between the ages of 25 and 55,^[7][8] with 55% being over 55.^[9]

RA causing the immune system to attack the joints and the tissues around the joints in the body causes signs and symptoms. It causes different problems, like:

• The capsules around the joints get swollen
• The body makes too much synovial fluid (the special fluid that is supposed to cushion the joints)
• Tough fibrous tissue builds up in the synovium area (which is supposed to help cushion the joints)

The condition may have a big impact on the persons life, leading to loss of independence or their ability to do the things they enjoy. It often causes malaise and can cause mental problems like depression.^[1][9] These are usually treatable but can go overlooked.

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1 1.2} "Rheumatoid arthritis". nhs.uk. 2018-10-03. Retrieved 2024-05-27.
2. ↑ Landré-Beauvais AJ (1800). La goutte asthénique primitive (doctoral thesis). Paris. reproduced in Landré-Beauvais AJ (2001). "The first description of rheumatoid arthritis. Unabridged text of the doctoral dissertation presented in 1800". Joint Bone spine 68 (2): 130–43. doi:10.1016/S1297-319X(00)00247-5. PMID 11324929.
3. ↑ ^{3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6} Cite error: The named reference NIH2014 was used but no text was provided for refs named (see the help page).
4. ↑ ^{4.0 4.1} Cite error: The named reference Majithia2007 was used but no text was provided for refs named (see the help page).
5. ↑ Cite error: The named reference Lancet2016 was used but no text was provided for refs named (see the help page).
6. ↑ Wang H, Naghavi M, Allen C, Barber RM, Bhutta ZA, Carter A, et al. (GBD 2015 Mortality and Causes of Death Collaborators) (October 2016). "Global, regional, and national life expectancy, all-cause mortality, and cause-specific mortality for 249 causes of death, 1980-2015: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2015". Lancet. 388 (10053): 1459–1544. doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(16)31012-1. PMC 5388903. PMID 27733281.
7. ↑ Lovell, Daniel J. "Arthritis." World Book Advanced. World Book, 2016. Web. 22 Feb. 2016
8. ↑ NWHRC Health Center - Rheumatoid Arthritis. June 18, 2008 pNA.
9. ↑ ^{9.0 9.1} "Rheumatoid arthritis". www.who.int. Retrieved 2024-05-27.