Rheumatoid Arthritis is a disease whose symptoms include chronic inflammation or swelling of the joints. In the long term, it can lead to joint damage, pain, stiffness and problems with mobility. Rheumatoid Arthritis is a chronic disease. That means that it may never go away. According to the Arthritis Foundation, it is also a systemic disease which means that Rheumatoid Arthritis can affect other systems or organs in your body. It is a very serious disease which needs early diagnosis and treatment in order to help you continue living as normally as possible.

No one knows the cause of rheumatoid arthritis, although most agree that it has to do with a dysfunction with the immune system which causes it to attack healthy tissue which then causes a degeneration of the joints as well as inflammation. There is no cure for rheumatoid arthritis, so doctors aim to help patients stall the disease as long as possible while reducing inflammation and controlling pain.

Most people diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis first notice it in the joints of their hands and wrists, then later in larger joints of the body. It will equally affect both sides of the body. In more advanced cases of rheumatoid arthritis the tendons and bones are attacked, possibly leaving the person severely deformed and can make the joints unstable.

Rheumatoid arthritis does not affect a lot of people, but it does target women more than men. Over 70% of rheumatoid arthritis sufferers are women, and the disease generally begins to be noticed when the person is from 30 to 50 years old. Rheumatoid arthritis occasionally affects children as well, between the ages of 6 months and 16 years, and can be equally painful and debilitating.

Each case of rheumatoid arthritis is managed in its own way, since the disease can present itself so differently in each person. Depending on the progression of the disease, the amount of inflammation and pain, different drugs are prescribed. Anti-inflammatory drugs, pain killers, anti-rheumatic and immune system drugs are a part of a normal drug cocktail for a person with rheumatoid arthritis. Your doctor may also recommend some other types of therapy to help with your arthritis, such as physiotherapy or acupuncture, which can help naturally relieve symptoms as well as keep your joints more limber and pain free.

It is important to detect and start treating this disease in its early stages. Aggressive and early treatment can preserve your joints and minimize the impact of the disease. Today, there are many more treatment options available. Combinations of drugs can be used to help in the treatment of Rheumatoid Arthritis.