Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic disease that affects the joints, causing stiffness, pain, and inflammation, as well as loss of joint function and difficulty in movement. These symptoms may be accompanied by a feeling of fatigue, isolated episodes of fever, and loss of appetite. The most affected areas of the body are the wrists, hands, feet, spine, elbows, knees and jaw. Treatments applied to patients seek to minimize the negative effects of the disease and provide a good level of quality of life.
Unlike osteoarthritis, in which there is a slow gradual process of wear and tear of the articular cartilage (the tissue that covers the bone in the joint area), arthritis causes chronic inflammation of the synovial membrane (tissue that surrounds the joint). the joint) which causes pain and mobility problems, while very quickly damaging cartilage, bone, ligaments and tendons and can cause joint deformity.
This is an autoimmune disease although it is unknown what causes it. Although the function of the immune system is to protect the body from any external threat, such as infections, in this case it attacks the healthy tissues of the joints. Rheumatoid arthritis can appear gradually and slowly affect various areas of the body. The symptoms can be temporarily aggravated by particular situations of the patients, such as going through periods of great stress,
There are several factors that can mean an increased risk of having this disease. It can appear at any time in life, but it is more common among women than men. Having a history in the family also increases the risk, as do other factors such as smoking or obesity. An increased risk of rheumatoid arthritis has also been observed in people with periodontal disease, an infection that affects the gums.
The main question faced by scientists who investigate possible solutions to rheumatoid arthritis is the lack of knowledge of the causes that cause it. It is not yet known what triggers the immune system to attack the joints and other tissues in the body. The most likely hypothesis is that it is a combination of genes, environmental factors and sex hormones that are behind the origin of this disease.
There is no cure for rheumatoid arthritis, but symptoms are more likely to be minimized when treatment is applied early. It generally consists of administering antirheumatic drugs that modify the course of the disease. It is also important to lead a healthy lifestyle, such as avoiding tobacco and alcohol, doing moderate sports and adapted to the person on a regular basis, a healthy diet, controlling body weight so that the joints do not suffer, having a correct rest and reducing stress factors.
