Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) facts


  •     Rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune disease that can cause chronic inflammation of the joints and other areas of the body.
  •     Rheumatoid arthritis can affect people of all ages.
  •     The cause of rheumatoid arthritis is not known.
  •     Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic disease, characterized by periods of disease flares and remissions.
  •     In rheumatoid arthritis, multiple joints are usually, but not always, affected in a symmetrical pattern.
  •     Chronic inflammation of rheumatoid arthritis can cause permanent joint destruction and deformity.
  •     Damage to joints can occur early and does not correlate with the severity of symptoms.
  •     The "rheumatoid factor" is an antibody that can be found in the blood of 80% of people with rheumatoid arthritis.
  •     There is no known cure for rheumatoid arthritis.
  •     The treatment of rheumatoid arthritis optimally involves a combination of patient education, rest and exercise, joint protection, medications, and occasionally surgery.
  •     Early treatment of rheumatoid arthritis results in better outcomes.

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