Rheumatoid arthritis is a common, debilitating condition where your body starts attacking its own tissue, joints, and cells. While rheumatoid arthritis is best known for attacking joints in the hands, knees, arms, and legs, it can affect every part of your body, including the skin, eyes, ears, and internal organs.
Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic condition that can affect people of all ages. RA is an autoimmune disease where your immune system mistakes body tissue for foreign invaders and starts attacking it. This results in unwanted pain and inflammation. In many cases, RA will result in physical deformities and excruciating pain.
As an autoimmune condition, RA affects everyone differently, meaning symptoms vary from person to person. In most cases, however, RA is a slowly progressing condition and won’t typically happen overnight. Regardless of the type or severity of your rheumatoid arthritis, here are some of the most common signs and symptoms.
Once again, symptoms will vary on a case-by-case basis. However, if you’re experiencing any of these symptoms, you should see a medical professional immediately.
Unfortunately, the exact cause of rheumatoid arthritis is unknown. Although we know RA happens when the immune system starts attacking the body’s tissues and cells, various stressors and triggers can cause this. Several risk factors make certain people more likely to develop rheumatoid arthritis than others.
Although researchers don’t know the exact reason, women are more than twice as likely to develop rheumatoid arthritis than men.
In most cases, rheumatoid arthritis first starts between 30 and 60. However, you can get RA at any age, including as a young child or senior citizen.
People are also more likely to develop rheumatoid arthritis if someone in their family had it before them. Once again, however, it’s possible to get RA even if no one else in your family suffers from it.
Lifestyle and dietary choices are significant risk factors for developing RA. People who smoke or who are obese are more likely to develop RA than those that don’t smoke and who aren’t overweight.
Because of how slowly developing rheumatoid arthritis is and how it affects everyone differently, it’s difficult to diagnose. In many cases, your doctor will have to refer you to a rheumatologist for a proper diagnosis if they suspect you have RA. Here are some of the tests that a rheumatoid arthritis specialist will use to diagnose whether or not you have RA.
Your doctor will also take a thorough family history and administer a physical during your diagnosis.
Unfortunately, there isn’t a cure for rheumatoid arthritis. There are, however, treatments and medications that can manage your condition. While treatment and management will vary according to the severity of your condition and your medical provider, it typically involves the following.
While rheumatoid arthritis doesn’t have a cure, people can enjoy pain-free and functional lives with an early diagnosis, treatment, and proper management.