Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) could be defined as a multisystem chronic disease of unknown origin. There’s an array of systemic expression; the primary distinguishing feature of rheumatoid arthritis is chronic inflammatory synovitis, typically symmetrically involving peripheral joints.
The likely influence of inflammation of the synovium leading to break of the articular cartilage and erosion of the involving bones and consequent changes within the integrity of the joint is the characteristic of the disease. RA also involves the tissues across the joint in addition to different organs in our body.
Characteristically, Rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune disorder, which occurs when the body’s own defense mechanism wrongly interprets some bodily character and mistakenly attacks them.
The immune system is a multifaceted association of various protective cells and antibodies programmed normally to ‘seek and destroy’ the intruders into our body. The primary role playing of the immune system occurs when an infective agent invades our system.
Patients having deranged immunity or autoimmune disorder produce antibodies (some proteins which have a killer potentiality towards intruders) within the blood that targets their very own body parts, resulting in inflammation. As rheumatoid arthritis can affect quite a few other organs in our body, it’s referred as a systemic disease.
The word “Rheumatoid” is coined from the Greek word “Rheumatos” which suggests ‘Flowing’ and the suffix “oid” refers to ‘resembling’. The word “Arthritis” means ‘inflammation of a joint’. So, together they mean ‘inflammation of a joint that’s flowing in nature’. Despite its harsh potential, the course of the disease can vary loads.
Some patients can experience a mere oligoarticular ailment (involving a single joint) of short duration with minimal or no joint damage, while others may suffer from a persistent progressive polyarthritis with striking functional impairment.
Rheumatoid arthritis has quite common symptoms [http://www.arthritissymptoms.org/common-symptoms-for-rheumatoid-arthritis.htm] and in accordance with a survey, it has affected greater than two million people in the US.
The disease is sort of 3 times more common in women than in men and affects people of all races uniformly. The onset of the disease could be at any age, but the standard point of time is after forty years of age. Being a genetically determined disease,
Rheumatoid arthritis can affect multiple members in the identical family. As for instance, severe RA is noticed in roughly 4 times the standard rate among the many first degree relatives of individuals affected by the disease along with presence of autoantibody – the Rheumatic factor- greater than 10% of patients with RA could have an affected first degree relative.
As well as, monozygotic twins are a minimum of 4 times more prone to develop RA than dizygotic twins. That is to be noted that, the very best risk of association id noted in twins who possess two HLA-DRB1 alleles (a style of genes) which is identified to be closely linked with RA. Genetic predisposing aspects don’t entirely account for the occurrence of RA, pointing towards another aspects. Environmental aspects have a job playing motion in the event of RA.
That is highlighted by epidemiological studies conducted in AFRICA, that indicated the role of urbanization and climate have a serious impact over the occurrence and severity of RA.
