Rheumatoid Arthritis
Rheumatoid Arthritis(RA) is the most common type of autoimmune arthritis and occurs when your immune system mistakenly attacks your own body’s tissues. It is also an autoimmune disease which means that certain cells of the immune system do not work properly and start attacking healthy tissues. It is an autoimmune disease that causes chronic inflammation of the joints and other areas of the body. It is triggered by a faulty immune system and affects the wrist and small joints of the hand, including the knuckles and the middle joints of the fingers. In some people, the condition also can damage a wide variety of body systems, including the skin, eyes, lungs, heart, and blood vessels.
The cause of RA happens when your immune system attacks the …show more content…
As the disease progresses, symptoms often spread to the wrists, knees, ankles, elbows, hips, and shoulders. In most cases, symptoms occur in the same joints on both sides of your body. About 40 percent of people who have RA experience signs and symptoms that don’t involve the joints. RA can affect many non joint structures including: eyes, skin, lungs, heart, nerve tissue, kidneys, blood vessels, salivary glands, and bone marrow. RA can also cause joints to deform and shift out of …show more content…
Early treatment can make a difference in someone with RA. RA can be difficult to diagnose in its early stages because the early signs and symptoms mimic those of other diseases. During a physical exam, the doctor will check your joints for swelling, redness, and warmth. He will also check your muscle strength and reflexes. People with RA often have an elevated erythrocyte sedimentation rate(ESR or sed rate) or C-reactive protein(CRP), which may indicate the presence of an inflammatory process in the body. Other common blood tests check for rheumatoid factor and anti-cyclic citrullinated peptide(anti-CCP) antibodies. Doctors can also recommend x-rays to help track the progression of RA in the joints over time. MRI and ultrasound tests can help your doctor judge the severity of the disease in the
The cause of RA happens when your immune system attacks the …show more content…
As the disease progresses, symptoms often spread to the wrists, knees, ankles, elbows, hips, and shoulders. In most cases, symptoms occur in the same joints on both sides of your body. About 40 percent of people who have RA experience signs and symptoms that don’t involve the joints. RA can affect many non joint structures including: eyes, skin, lungs, heart, nerve tissue, kidneys, blood vessels, salivary glands, and bone marrow. RA can also cause joints to deform and shift out of …show more content…
Early treatment can make a difference in someone with RA. RA can be difficult to diagnose in its early stages because the early signs and symptoms mimic those of other diseases. During a physical exam, the doctor will check your joints for swelling, redness, and warmth. He will also check your muscle strength and reflexes. People with RA often have an elevated erythrocyte sedimentation rate(ESR or sed rate) or C-reactive protein(CRP), which may indicate the presence of an inflammatory process in the body. Other common blood tests check for rheumatoid factor and anti-cyclic citrullinated peptide(anti-CCP) antibodies. Doctors can also recommend x-rays to help track the progression of RA in the joints over time. MRI and ultrasound tests can help your doctor judge the severity of the disease in the