What Is Rheumatoid Arthritis?

Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic disease that causes inflammation of the joints. It can sometimes affect other parts of the body, too. The cause of rheumatoid arthritis is unknown, but it is an autoimmune disease.

When you have an autoimmune disease, your body mistakenly recognizes part of itself as being foreign. The immune system, which fights invading organisms, becomes geared up to fight this "invader."

In rheumatoid arthritis patients, white blood cells are activated, which for unknown reasons, preferentially go into joints. Once inside joints, the immune cells cause inflammation. If you had an infection, this would help fight disease. Without an infection to fight, the inflammation leads to the signs and symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis: swollen, stiff, painful joints.

Flare-ups of inflammation in the joints are called rheumatoid arthritis disease activity. Besides causing short-term symptoms, disease activity can damage the joints by breaking down cartilage and even bone. This can lead to long-term joint problems.

Rheumatoid arthritis is not the same as "regular" arthritis. Osteoarthritis is the most common kind of arthritis, and it's what most people think of when they hear the word "arthritis." Osteoarthritis is caused by aging, wear and tear of joints, or injury, and is treated very differently than rheumatoid arthritis.

Who Gets Rheumatoid Arthritis?

• Rheumatoid arthritis is found all over the world. In the United States, about 2 million people have rheumatoid arthritis.
• Rheumatoid arthritis can occur at any age, but most often occurs after 30 and before 60.
• 75% of people with rheumatoid arthritis are women. In women with rheumatoid arthritis, the disease often goes away completely during pregnancy. Rheumatoid arthritis in women is usually less severe than in men.
• There is a genetic component to developing rheumatoid arthritis, but it is not very strong. Many people who develop the disease do not have anyone else in their family with rheumatoid arthritis.

What Happens With Rheumatoid Arthritis?

Rheumatoid arthritis affects each person differently.

• In a small number of people, rheumatoid arthritis can be very mild, going years in between symptoms.
• For most people who have it, rheumatoid arthritis is a progressive disease that needs to be carefully managed throughout life.
• Some people have severe disease that requires intense treatment.

There is no cure yet for rheumatoid arthritis, but there are effective treatments. The right treatment can slow down the progression of rheumatoid arthritis, make it easier to live with, and address any joint problems that develop.