Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is also known as inflammatory arthritis. It causes the same pain from joint destruction that osteoarthritis produces but by a different mechanism. RA is thought to result from an autoimmune reaction. In a complex series of interactions, the tissues surrounding the joints become inflamed and erode into the joints. It is a systemic disease, meaning it can cause many other problems with areas of the body both in and outside of joints. Typical deformities can often be seen in other parts of the body, especially the hands.RA affects women three times as frequently as men. It usually strikes people between the ages of 20 and 50, but can also appear in children. Two to three million Americans have RA (1.5 million women, 600,000 men).
RA is usually active for six to eight years, at which point it levels off. However, if a person has RA consistently for two years, he or she will probably continue to have joint problems. Some researchers believe that patients who develop RA after age 60 actually have a milder course of the illness than younger patients.
The cause of RA is unknown. Many doctors believe that a virus or bacterium may be responsible for its development in people with a genetic predisposition to it.
RA is also associated with different infections at its onset. Infections such as strep throat, mononucleosis, and others have been thought to trigger RA.
Severe stress and cold, wet weather may also play a role in the onset as well. Two-thirds of people with RA begin the disease in the winter.
Usually, if a woman with RA becomes pregnant, the disease will go away completely. However, the RA will come back approximately six weeks after the baby is delivered.
