Rheumatoid arthritis

Rheumatoid arthritis Illustration comparing rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis

Introduction
The nagging pains and physical limitations of the more than 100 forms of arthritis are common to millions of people. Rheumatoid arthritis is among the most debilitating of all forms, causing joints to ache and throb and eventually become deformed. Sometimes these symptoms make even the simplest activities — such as opening a jar or taking a walk — difficult to manage.

Unlike osteoarthritis, which results from wear and tear on your joints, rheumatoid arthritis is an inflammatory condition. The exact cause of rheumatoid arthritis is unknown, but it's believed to be the body's immune system attacking the tissue that lines your joints (synovium).

Rheumatoid arthritis is two to three times more common in women than in men and generally strikes between the ages of 20 and 50. But rheumatoid arthritis can also affect young children and adults older than age 50.

There's no cure for rheumatoid arthritis. But with proper treatment, a strategy for joint protection and changes in lifestyle, you can live a long, productive life with this condition.

Signs and symptoms
Rheumatoid arthritis vs. osteoarthritis
The signs and symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis may come and go over time. They include:

*Pain and swelling in your joints, especially in the smaller joints of your hands and feet
Generalized aching or stiffness of the joints and muscles, especially after sleep or after periods of rest
*Loss of motion of the affected joints
*Loss of strength in muscles attached to the affected joints
*Fatigue, which can be severe during a flare-up
*Low-grade fever
*Deformity of your joints over time
*General sense of not feeling well (malaise)
*Rheumatoid arthritis usually causes problems in several joints at the same time. Early in rheumatoid arthritis, the joints in your wrists, hands, feet and knees are the ones most often affected. As the disease progresses, your shoulders, elbows, hips, jaw and neck can become involved. It generally affects both sides of your body at the same time. The knuckles of both hands are one example.
*Small lumps, called rheumatoid nodules, may form under your skin at pressure points and can occur at your elbows, hands, feet and Achilles tendons. Rheumatoid nodules may also occur elsewhere, including the back of your scalp, over your knee or even in your lungs. These nodules can range in size — from as small as a pea to as large as a walnut. Usually these lumps aren't painful.

In contrast to osteoarthritis, which affects only your bones and joints, rheumatoid arthritis can cause inflammation of tear glands, salivary glands, the linings of your heart and lungs, your lungs themselves and, in rare cases, your blood vessels.

Although rheumatoid arthritis is often a chronic disease, it tends to vary in severity and may even come and go. Periods of increased disease activity — called flare-ups or flares — alternate with periods of relative remission, during which the swelling, pain, difficulty sleeping, and weakness fade or disappear.

Swelling or deformity may limit the flexibility of your joints. But even if you have a severe form of rheumatoid arthritis, you'll probably retain flexibility in many joints.