Rheumatoid arthritis
Rheumatoid arthritis: Introduction
Rheumatoid arthritis is an ongoing, progressive disease that affects the joints of the body with episodes of painful, even disabling inflammation. Rheumatoid arthritis also affects other organs of the body and can result in the destruction of joints, and in severe cases, life threatening complications. The way that the disease affects people varies greatly from person to person, but generally affects wrists, fingers, knees, feet, and ankles on both sides of the body. The exact cause of rheumatoid arthritis is not known, but it is classified as an autoimmune disease. In an autoimmune disease, the body's immune system mistakes healthy tissues as foreign and potentially dangerous invaders into the body and attacks them, resulting in inflammation that eventually can destroy the affected joints and damage to blood vessels and organs. Rheumatoid arthritis is caused by a different disease process than osteoarthritis. In osteoarthritis, joint pain and damage is due to injury and wear and tear and there is no underlying generalized inflammatory process in the body. The onset of rheumatoid arthritis can occur at any age and affects women more than men.
Rheumatoid arthritis can be mild, moderate, or severe. However, no matter what the age of the person or severity, rheumatoid arthritis may seriously impede a person's ability to work and participate in other activities of daily living. In general, the younger a person is when he or she develops rheumatoid arthritis, the more rapidly that disease progresses. About 10% of people with the disease become severely disabled. In addition, life expectancy may be shortened by about 3 to 7 years, and those with severe forms of rheumatic arthritis may die 10-15 years earlier than expected due to possible life threatening complications, according to the National Institutes of Health. The good news is that overall, severe disabilities and life-threatening complications due to rheumatic arthritis may be decreasing due to progress in research and treatments.
Symptoms of Rheumatoid arthritis
See full list of 29
symptoms of Rheumatoid arthritis
Rheumatoid arthritis: Complications
Review possible medical complications related to Rheumatoid arthritis:
Disease Topics Related To Rheumatoid arthritis
Research the causes of these diseases that are similar to, or related to, Rheumatoid arthritis:
Medical Textbooks Online about Rheumatoid arthritis
Medical Books Excerpts
- Splenomegaly
- "Professional Guide to Signs & Symptoms (Fifth Edition)" (2006)
- [ read ]
- Neutropenia
- "The 10-Minute Diagnosis Manual: Symptoms and Signs in the Time-Limited Encounter" (2000)
- [ read ]
- Splenomegaly
- "The 10-Minute Diagnosis Manual: Symptoms and Signs in the Time-Limited Encounter" (2000)
- [ read ]
- Splenomegaly
- "Alarming Signs and Symptoms: Lippincott Manual of Nursing Practice Series" (2007)
- [ read ]
- Splenomegaly
- "The Diagnostic Approach to Symptoms and Signs in Pediatrics" (2006)
- [ read ]
Book excerpts: Copyright © 2008 Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. All rights reserved.
Diagnostic Tests for Rheumatoid arthritis
See full list of 7
diagnostic tests for Rheumatoid arthritis
Wrongly Diagnosed with Rheumatoid arthritis?
Rheumatoid arthritis: Marketplace Products, Discounts & Offers
Products, offers and promotion categories available for Rheumatoid arthritis:
Rheumatoid arthritis: Undiagnosed Conditions
Commonly undiagnosed diseases in related medical categories:
Misdiagnosis and Rheumatoid arthritis
Rare undiagnosed iron disorder causes various severe conditions: The rare "iron overload" disorder, hemochromatosis,
can cause a variety of symptoms and result in various...read more »
Psoriatic arthritis often undiagnosed cause of joint conditions: Patients with the skin condition psoriasis
can also have the related arthritis subtype called "psoriatic arthritis"...read more »
Adhesive capsulitis: Adhesive capsulitis
is an acute inflammation affecting the gleno humeral joint which becomes
fibrotic and contracted. It can...read more »
Read more about Misdiagnosis and Rheumatoid arthritis
Rheumatoid arthritis: Research Doctors & Specialists
Research related physicians and medical specialists:
- Bone, Joint and Orthopedic Specialists:
- Arthritis & Joint Health Specialists (Rheumatology):
- more specialists...»
Other doctor, physician and specialist research services:
Causes of Rheumatoid arthritis
Read more about causes of Rheumatoid arthritis.
More information about causes of Rheumatoid arthritis:
Treatments for Rheumatoid arthritis
See full list of 55
treatments for Rheumatoid arthritis
News Archives for Rheumatoid arthritis
Medical news articles related to Rheumatoid arthritis include:
Source: HealthDay News
Evidence Based Medicine Research for Rheumatoid arthritis
Medical research articles related to Rheumatoid arthritis include:
Click here to find more evidence-based articles on the TRIP Database
Videos for Rheumatoid arthritis
In this segment, Dr. Allan Gibofsky answers viewer you questions about arthritis. Is there a connection between arthritis and fibromyalgia?
In this segment, Dr. Allan Gibofsky answers your questions about arthritis. Can cracking your knuckles cause arthritis?
For most people, arthritis means simply pain in or around a joint. But there are over 100 different kinds of arthritis, each with its own set of...
A diagnosis of psoriatic arthritis brings with it a slew of treatment options and choices to make. Here we give you an overview of your options.
See full list of 24 related videos
Patient Surveys for Rheumatoid arthritis
Prognosis for Rheumatoid arthritis
Prognosis for Rheumatoid arthritis:
Normal lifespan typical. At least 70% lead an active normal life (usually with medications).
More about prognosis of Rheumatoid arthritis
Reseach about Rheumatoid arthritis
Visit our research pages for current research about Rheumatoid arthritis treatments.
Clinical Trials for Rheumatoid arthritis
The US based website ClinicalTrials.gov lists information on both federally
and privately supported clinical trials using human volunteers.
Some of the clinical trials listed on ClinicalTrials.gov for Rheumatoid arthritis include:
- Autologous Peripheral Blood Stem Cell Transplantation in Patients With Life Threatening Autoimmune Diseases - This study is no longer recruiting patients (Current: 23 Nov 2006) - anti-thymocyte globulin,cyclophosphamide,cyclosporine,filgrastim,methylprednisolone,prednisone
- Study of High-Dose Cyclophosphamide and Anti-Thymocyte Globulin With T-Cell-Depleted Autologous Bone Marrow Rescue in Patients With High-Risk Rheumatoid Arthritis - This study is no longer recruiting patients (Current: 23 Nov 2006) - anti-thymocyte globulin,cyclophosphamide,filgrastim
- A Phase 2 Study to Evaluate the Safety, Tolerability, and Activity of Fontolizumab in Subjects With Active Rheumatoid Arthritis - This study is currently recruiting patients (Current: 23 Nov 2006) - Fontolizumab
- Study of Gammalinolenic Acid for Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis - This study has been completed (Current: 23 Nov 2006) - gamma-Linolenic acid
- Pilot Study of Total Body Irradiation in Combination With Cyclophosphamide, Anti-Thymocyte Globulin, and Autologous CD34-Selected Peripheral Blood Stem Cell Transplantation in Children With Refractory Autoimmune Disorders - This study is currently recruiting patients (Current: 23 Nov 2006) - anti-thymocyte globulin,cyclophosphamide,filgrastim
- more trials...»
See full list of 327
Clinical Trials for Rheumatoid arthritis
Statistics for Rheumatoid arthritis
Rheumatoid arthritis: Broader Related Topics
Types of Rheumatoid arthritis
Types of Rheumatoid arthritis
- Juvenile rheumatoid arthritis (JRA) - when RA occurs in those under 16
- Pauciarticular JRA - most common form of JRA (about 50%); involving 4 or less joints; usually large joints (e.g. knees); most commonly found in girls under 8.
- Polyarticular JRA - about 30% of JRA cases; more than 4 joints; often small joints; often symmetrical.
- Systemic JRA - about 20% of JRA; also called Still's disease;
- more types...»
Read more about Types of Rheumatoid arthritis
Curable Types of Rheumatoid arthritis
Possibly curable types of Rheumatoid arthritis include:
Rare Types of Rheumatoid arthritis:
Rare types of Rheumatoid arthritis include:
Stories from Users Related to Rheumatoid arthritis
Related forums and medical stories:
User Interactive Forums
Read about other experiences, ask a question about Rheumatoid arthritis, or answer someone else's question, on our message boards:
Article Excerpts about Rheumatoid arthritis
Handout on Health Rheumatoid Arthritis: NIAMS (Excerpt)
Rheumatoid arthritis is an inflammatory disease that
causes pain, swelling, stiffness, and loss of function in the joints. It
has several special features that make it different from other kinds of
arthritis (see information box below). For example, rheumatoid arthritis
generally occurs in a symmetrical pattern. This means that if one knee
or hand is involved, the other one is also. The disease often affects
the wrist joints and the finger joints closest to the hand. It can also
affect other parts of the body besides the joints (see illustrations
below). In addition, people with the disease may have fatigue,
occasional fever, and a general sense of not feeling well (malaise).
(Source: excerpt from Handout on Health Rheumatoid Arthritis: NIAMS)
Connective Tissue Diseases: NWHIC (Excerpt)
Rheumatoid arthritis is a systemic
disorder in which immune cells attack and inflame the membrane
around joints. It also can affect the heart, lungs, and eyes. Of the
estimated 2.1 million Americans with rheumatoid arthritis,
approximately 1.5 million (71 percent) are women.
(Source: excerpt from Connective Tissue Diseases: NWHIC)
Definitions of Rheumatoid arthritis:
Chronic systemic disease, primarily of the joints, marked by inflammatory changes in the synovial membranes and articular structures, widespread fibrinoid degeneration of the collagen fibers in mesenchymal tissues, and by atrophy and rarefaction of bony structures; etiology is unknown, but autoimmune mechanisms have been implicated.
- (Source - Diseases Database)
A chronic autoimmune disease with inflammation of the joints and marked deformities; something (possibly a virus) triggers an attack on the synovium by the immune system, which releases cytokines that stimulate an inflammatory reaction that can lead to the destruction of all components of the joint
- (Source - WordNet 2.1)
Contents for Rheumatoid arthritis:
User Surveys and Discussion Forums
» Next page: What is Rheumatoid arthritis?
Rate This Website
What do you think about the features of this website?
Take our user survey and have your say:
Website User Survey
Medical Tools & Articles:
Next articles:
Tools & Services:
Medical Articles:
Forums & Message Boards
- Ask or answer a question at the Boards:
