Related topics: cells , immune system
Rheumatoid arthritis
hideRheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic, systemic and serious inflammatory disorder that may affect many tissues and organs, but principally attacks the joints producing an inflammatory synovitis that often progresses to destruction of the articular cartilage and ankylosis of the joints. Rheumatoid arthritis can also produce diffuse inflammation in the lungs, pericardium, pleura, and sclera, and also nodular lesions, most common in subcutaneous tissue under the skin. Although the cause of rheumatoid arthritis is unknown, autoimmunity plays a pivotal role in its chronicity and progression.
About 1% of the world's population is afflicted by rheumatoid arthritis, women three times more often than men. Onset is most frequent between the ages of 40 and 50, but no age is immune. It can be a disabling and painful condition, which can lead to substantial loss of functioning and mobility. It is diagnosed chiefly on symptoms and signs, but also with blood tests (especially a test called rheumatoid factor) and X-rays. Diagnosis and long-term management are typically performed by a rheumatologist, an expert in the diseases of joints and connective tissues.
Various treatments are available. Non-pharmacological treatment includes physical therapy and occupational therapy. Analgesia (painkillers) and anti-inflammatory drugs, as well as steroids, are used to suppress the symptoms, while disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs) are often required to inhibit or halt the underlying immune process and prevent long-term damage. In recent times, the newer group of biologics has increased treatment options.
The name is based on the term "rheumatic fever", an illness which includes joint pain and is derived from the Greek word rheumatos ("flowing"). The suffix -oid ("resembling") gives the translation as joint inflammation that resembles rheumatic fever. The first recognized description of rheumatoid arthritis was made in 1800 by Dr Augustin Jacob Landré-Beauvais (1772-1840) of Paris.
For more information about Rheumatoid arthritis, read the full article at
Wikipedia.
This text uses material from Wikipedia and is available under the GNU Free Documentation License.
News tagged with rheumatoid arthritis
White tea could keep you healthy and looking young
Aug 11, 2009 |
4.7 / 5 (29) |
7
Next time you’re making a cuppa, new research shows it might be wise to opt for a white tea if you want to reduce your risk of cancer, rheumatoid arthritis or even just age-associated wrinkles. Researchers ...
Why fish oils help and how they could help even more
Oct 28, 2009 |
4.6 / 5 (27) |
9
New research from Queen Mary, University of London and Harvard Medical School has revealed precisely why taking fish oils can help with conditions like rheumatoid arthritis.
Rheumatoid arthritis breakthrough
Nov 12, 2008 |
4.8 / 5 (9) |
0
Rheumatoid arthritis is a painful, inflammatory type of arthritis that occurs when the body's immune system attacks itself. A new paper, published in this week's issue of PLoS Biology, reports a breakthrough in the unders ...
Health Tip: Are Vitamin Supplements Worthwhile or Not?
Feb 16, 2009 |
3.7 / 5 (11) |
4
(PhysOrg.com) -- You may be wondering at this point whether to toss those vitamins into your mouth or into the trash. That's not surprising since several recent reports have called the value of vitamins into question, leaving ...
Researchers make breakthrough against poxviruses
Biology /
Jan 23, 2009 |
4.8 / 5 (8) |
0
Smallpox has a nasty history throughout the world. Caused by poxviruses, smallpox is one of the few disease-causing agents against which the human body's immune system is ineffective in its defense.
New trigger for chronic inflammation in rheumatoid arthritis discovered
Jun 28, 2009 |
4.6 / 5 (8) |
0
(PhysOrg.com) -- A signal molecule made by the human body that triggers the immune system into action may be important in rheumatoid arthritis, according to new research published today in Nature Medicine. The au ...
Immune cells from patients with rheumatoid arthritis have prematurely aged chromosomes
Mar 04, 2009 |
4.9 / 5 (7) |
0
Telomeres, structures that cap the ends of cells' chromosomes, grow shorter with each round of cell division unless a specialized enzyme replenishes them. Maintaining telomeres is thought to be important for healthy aging ...
Insurers shun those taking certain meds and secretly keep blacklist
Mar 30, 2009 |
4.3 / 5 (7) |
1
Trying to buy health insurance on your own and have gallstones? You'll automatically be denied coverage. Rheumatoid arthritis? Automatic denial. Severe acne? Probably denied. Do you take Metformin, a popular drug for diabetes? ...
Research identifies how inflammatory disease causes fatigue
Feb 17, 2009 |
4.3 / 5 (6) |
0
New animal research in the February 18 issue of The Journal of Neuroscience may indicate how certain diseases make people feel so tired and listless. Although the brain is usually isolated from the immune ...
Study: Cigarette smoking does not affect everyone in same way
Jun 04, 2009 |
4.3 / 5 (6) |
1
Cigarette smoking induced COPD, or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, is a disease that results in severe breathing difficulty. According to World Health Organization (WHO) it is the fourth leading killer worldwide. However ...
Anticancer compound found in American mayapple
Sep 04, 2009 |
4.6 / 5 (5) |
0
A common weed called American mayapple may soon offer an alternative to an Asian cousin that's been harvested almost to extinction because of its anti-cancer properties. The near-extinct Asian plant, Podophyllyum emodi, produc ...
Working environment is 1 cause of rheumatoid arthritis
Sep 24, 2008 |
4.2 / 5 (5) |
0
It has long been known that environmental factors play a part in the development of rheumatoid arthritis; smoking and drinking alcohol, along with heredity, are particularly instrumental in increasing the risk of the disease. ...
Research sheds new light on inflammatory disease
Apr 09, 2009 |
5 / 5 (4) |
0
Scientists at the University of Liverpool have found that understanding the precise timing of communication between cells that coordinate the body's response to disease could be key to new drug developments.
Structures from the human immune system's oldest branch shed light on a range of diseases
Jun 17, 2009 |
5 / 5 (4) |
0
How molecules of the oldest branch of the human immune system have interconnected has remained a mystery. Now, two new structures, both involving a central component of an enzyme important to the complement ...
Gene therapy effective treatment against gum disease
Dec 11, 2008 |
4.8 / 5 (4) |
0
Scientists at the University of Michigan have shown that gene therapy can be used to successfully stop the development of periodontal disease, the leading cause of tooth loss in adults. The findings will be published online ...
