...Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic inflammatory disorder that can affect more than just your joints. In some people, the condition also can damage a wide variety of body systems, including the skin, eyes, lungs, heart and blood vessels. An autoimmune disorder, rheumatoid arthritis occurs when your immune system mistakenly attacks your own body's tissues. Unlike the wear-and-tear damage of osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis affects the lining of your joints, causing a painful swelling that can eventually result in bone erosion and joint deformity. The inflammation associated with rheumatoid arthritis is what can damage other parts of the body as well. While new types of medications have improved treatment options dramatically, severe rheumatoid arthritis can still cause physical disabilities. Symptoms & causes. March 18, 2016 Print Share on: Facebook Twitter References RelatedEase rheumatoid arthritis symptoms in the morning Rheumatoid arthritis: Can it affect the lungs? Tips for coping with rheumatoid arthritis Care for your lawn and garden without hurting your joints Living a full life with rheumatoid arthritis Rheumatoid arthritis and exercise Is depression a factor in rheumatoid arthritis? Who gets rheumatoid arthritis? How can I decrease the fatigue of rheumatoid arthritis? Limit rheumatoid arthritis pain when you grocery shop Rheumatoid arthritis: Which joints are most commonly affected? Rheumatoid arthritis...
Words: 425 - Pages: 2
...Affects of Rheumatoid Arthritis and its Affects in Women vs. Men Alexa Graves Blue Valley High School Abstract Affects of Rheumatoid Arthritis and its Affects in Women vs. Men Rheumatoid Arthritis is an autoimmune disease that affects the body in many different ways. It can cause joint inflammation, stiffness & pain, and muscle weakness.Many people around the world suffer from this disease and it's more common in women than in men. The reason for this is unknown, but researchers are looking into it and have some ideas. A few of the symptoms include: pain from inflammation, tenderness in the joints, and loss of muscle mass. The pain from this can be due to the lack of physical activity that patients with RA have. Researchers...
Words: 1624 - Pages: 7
...There are more than 100 different types of arthritis that affect millions of people in North America. Rheumatoid arthritis is one of most debilitating forms of arthritis because it causes the joints in the body to constantly ache and throb. Eventually, rheumatoid arthritis leads to a deforming of these joints. Many patients find it difficult to perform even the simplest tasks such as walking and holding a glass of water. But just what are the signs and symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis? Rheumatoid arthritis is considered to be an inflammatory condition. The cause of this disease is not yet known but there are some studies that indicate the immune system of the body attacks the tissues that surround the joints. More women than men suffer from rheumatoid arthritis. The disease usually hits those people in the age range of 20 to 50. However, it can also affect very young children in the form of juvenile rheumatoid arthritis. Juvenile rheumatoid arthritis symptoms are slightly different than rheumatoid arthritis in adults....
Words: 471 - Pages: 2
...Introduction to Rheumatoid Arthritis Treatment Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic condition that can change a course of a person’s life. During the last decade there has been significant changes and progress that has been made to treat rheumatoid arthritis. These treatment advances have played a major role in slowing the progression of the disease, and improving quality of life. It is a progressive and painful condition in which the body’s immune system attacks its own tissues, especially a thin membrane that lines the joints called the synovium. It is disease that can have a devastating effect on a person, and it is really necessary for health care workers to recognize its symptoms, provide education and give treatment to slow down the progression of this distressing disease. The article Nursing Considerations for Infusions Therapy in Rheumatoid Arthritis Verus Malignancy by Nicole Furfaro and Philip J. Mease was published in 2008 in the Journal of Infusion Nursing. The article is about the different treatment available for rheumatoid arthritis especially the drug rituximab. It discusses the effects of the medication and important factors infusion nurses need to monitor and be aware of while administering this drug. Another article Treatment of Early Rheumatoid Arthritis by Karim Raza, Mike Salmon and Christopher Buckley was published in 2005 in the Journal Therapy. This article discusses the importance of early treatment of rheumatoid arthritis and compares different studies...
Words: 1355 - Pages: 6
...The cause of the disorder Jasmine Ray Westwood (MA) Rough Draft Rheumatoid Arthritis. Rheumatoid arthritis is a long-term form of inflammatory arthritis of the joints in addition to surrounding tissues. This can also affect the organs. This is resulting in painful immobility, in the fingers, wrists, feet, and ankles. The immune system is designed towards protecting our well-being by attacking foreign cells like viruses and bacteria. Instead it attacks the body’s own tissues, a thin membrane that lines the joints. RA is a chronic disease meaning it can’t be cured. In some individuals the disorder is continuously active and gets worse over time. Others have long periods of remission. The cause of the disorder The cause of RA is still unknown. Infectious agents such as viruses, bacteria, and fungi have long been suspected, none has been proven as the cause. What happen is the white blood cells over react to stimuli inside the body. Instead of protecting the body like it normally do from disease or infection, the immune system attacks and destroys the body’s tissues that are healthy. This chronic inflammatory condition that also effects other tissue. Autoimmune diseases often run in families many may develop different type of autoimmune disease. This genetic difference puts related family members at an increased risk for one or more autoimmune diseases. RA often improves during pregnancy. Certain proteins passed between the mother and unborn child may be responsible...
Words: 901 - Pages: 4
...1. Introduction Rheumatoid arthritis means inflammation of the joint, it is one of the most prevalent type of autoimmune arthritis in the world. It can infects any one , no matter how is the age , although it is more common in women more than men. The worthy news is that the advances of rheumatoid arthritis treatment made it possible to stop or slow the worsening of joint damage. In additional there are actual treatments which relieve pain and reduce inflammation of rheumatoid arthritis. The report will include Definition, Symptoms, causes and risk factors, Diagnosis, complication of rheumatoid arthritis , finally, cure and treatment. 2. Body I. Definition (RA) Rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune disease in which the body immune system which ordinarily secures it is wellbeing by assaulting outside substances like microorganisms and infections incorrectly attacks the joints. which makes irritation to the tissue that lines within the joints which is the synovium to thicken, achieving swelling and pain in and around the joints. The synovium...
Words: 937 - Pages: 4
...Bridget Acosta Anatomy and Physiology RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS * INTRODUCTION Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is an inflammatory disease that exerts its greatest impact on those joints of the body that are lined with synovium, a specialized tissue responsible for maintaining the nutrition and lubrication of the joint. The distribution of joints affected (synovial joints) is characteristic. It typically affects the small joints of the hands and the feet, and usually both sides equally in a symmetrical distribution, though any synovial joint can be affected. In patients with established and aggressive disease, most joints will be affected over time. Joint inflammation is characterized by redness, warmth, swelling, and pain within the joint. In addition to affecting the joints, rheumatoid arthritis may occasionally affect the skin, eyes, lungs, heart, blood, or nerves. * SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS The initial trigger for RA is unknown. There is evidence to suggest abnormalities in components of the immune system that lead to the body developing abnormal immune and inflammatory reactions, particularly in joints. These changes may precede the symptomatic onset of RA by many years. Whatever sets the pathology in motion results in a large increase in blood flow to the joint (giving heat and sometimes redness), proliferation of the synovial membrane with an increase in synovial fluid (swelling), and pain (due to stretching of pain receptors in the soft tissues around, and the bone...
Words: 2531 - Pages: 11
...Rheumatoid Arthritis is a chronic progressive disease-causing inflammation in the joints and resulting in painful deformity and immobility, especially in the fingers, wrists, feet, and ankles. It is a form of Arthritis that causes pain, stiffness, swelling, and causes loss of function in the joints. Rheumatoid Arthritis is an autoimmune disease. An autoimmune disease is when your immune cells of your body make a mistake and attack your own organs, cells, and tissues. It releases antibodies and irritating chemicals resulting in damage and inflammation at the area it is happening at. “Over time, RA can affect other body parts and systems, from your eyes to your heart, lungs, skin, blood vessels, and more.” (WebMD 2018) RA effects both sides of the body for example both knees, and both wrists....
Words: 1290 - Pages: 6
...Rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune disease that causes chronic inflammation of the joints. Rhematiod arthritis can also cause inflammation of the tissue around the joints, as well as other organs in the body. Autoimmune diseases are illnesses which occur when the body tissues are mistakenly attacked by its own immune system. The immune system is a complex organization of cells and antibodies designed normally to "seek and destroy" invaders of the body, particularly infections. Patients with these diseases have antibodies in their blood which target their own body tissues, where they can be associated with inflammation. Because it can affect multiple other organs of the body, rheumatoid arthritis is referred to as a systemic illness and is sometimes called rheumatoid disease. While rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic illness, meaning it can last for years, patients may experience long periods without symptoms. Typically, however, rheumatoid arthritis is a progressive illness that has the potential to cause joint destruction and functional disability. A joint is where two bones meet to allow movement of body parts. Arthritis means join inflammation. The join inflammation of rheumatoid arthritis causes swelling, pain ,stiffness, and redness in the joints. The inflammation of rheumatoid disease can also occur in tissues around the joints, such as the tendons, ligaments, and muscles. In some patienst with rheumatoid arthritis, chronic inflammation leads to the destruction of the...
Words: 402 - Pages: 2
...40904000. There are many different types of Arthritis. Some of these types are caused by infections, some by injury, some by aging, and some by entirely unknown causes. Infectious arthritis may follow influenza, typhoid fever, tuberculosis, syphilis or gonorrhea. Arthritis of an unknown cause is common and Rheumatoid arthritis is the worst form. Chronic arthritis is common. It has three main forms: osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, and gout. Osteoarthritis is an inflammatory condition of one or more joints the main symptoms of arthritis are joint pain and stiffness, which typically worsen with age. This is the most common form of arthritis. This disease is known as a degenerative joint disease. It affects about 80% of all Americans. The pain is caused by the degeneration of the joint. The damage to the cartilage occurs as the disease progresses and degenerates and may form some bony spurs at the end of the bones. The bones may grind against each other. Cartilage normally serves as a shock-absorbing cushion between the bones. When it breaks down it results in bones rubbing directly against one another during movement. This friction between the bones causes the bone to thicken, and spurs develop .As time goes on; these abrasions can cause permanent joint damage. Osteoarthritis is most common in the knees, hips, hands and spine. Rheumatoid arthritis is the worst form arthritis. It is a chronic autoimmune disease which affects the connective tissue and joints. This disease...
Words: 853 - Pages: 4
...more common with age. The leading chronic diseases in developed countries include arthritis, cardiovascular disease such as breast and colon cancer, diabetes, epilepsy and seizures, obesity and oral health problems. For the purpose of this paper the primary focus is going to be on arthritis to be more concise Rheumatoid Arthritis. Topics to be covered include a brief summary of chronic illness with a concise account of what Rheumatoid Arthritis is and its treatments...
Words: 779 - Pages: 4
...Osteoarthritis is a degenerative arthritis, a condition in which joint cartilage breaks down. New tissue, which grows at the ends of bones, now has no cartilage cap to control it. Instead, this new bone forms into strange lips and spurs that grind and grate and get in the way of movement of the joint. Osteoarthritis is common in older people after years of wear-and-tear that thin the cartilage and the bones. Osteoarthritis can also result from diseases in which there is softening of the bone, like Paget's disease in which the long bones of the body curve like a bow, or osteoporosis with its bowing of the shoulder called "dowager's hump," or the breakdown of other bones. Other forms of arthritis can also cause a secondary osteoarthritis. Osteoarthritis is not an inevitable problem of aging. Those who don't suffer from it may have their heredity and possibly the strength of their immune systems to thank. Medical science is not quite sure of all the factors that come into play in deciding who gets osteoarthritis and who doesn't. Rheumatoid arthritis is an inflammatory arthritis. It is second only to osteoarthritis in the number of its victims. It affects primarily the small joints in the hands and feet and the synovium, causing crippling deformities. This is an arthritis that usually starts in middle age or earlier. Estimates of the incidence of rheumatoid arthritis run as high as one person in every hundred, and females are two to three times as likely to suffer from it. It seems...
Words: 1621 - Pages: 7
... 6. Submit your document by the due date listed in your syllabus. Submission should be through the ASUN Portal. Upload your completed document—make sure the file you upload and mark as final has your answers typed in it! Note: You must UPLOAD the document and MARK AS FINAL for it to be properly “turned in” through the Portal. 7. Participate in the Class Discussions of this Case Study—this will be completed on the Discussion Forums page within the ASUN Portal. 8. Email me if you have any questions. The Skeletal System - Aging and Disease The skeletal system is required for nearly every body movement. It also supports the body at rest, protects vital organs, and produces blood cells. However, like any other system, it is susceptible to disease. Different diseases become more (or less) likely as the body ages. A few common diseases include scoliosis, arthritis, and osteoporosis Scoliosis Scoliosis is defined as an “s” or “c” shaped spinal curvature. It is most often diagnosed during adolescence, partially due puberty, a biological time period which causes abnormal growth spurts to the skeletal system. Pre-existing conditions such as cerebral palsy or muscular dystrophy may contribute to scoliosis, although the primary cause remains to be identified. Typically, scoliosis is formally diagnosed after an x-ray examining the spinal column has been performed. Children may require additional...
Words: 924 - Pages: 4
...Arthritis is broadly defined as painful inflammation of the joints, however there are approximately 100 different types of arthritis, including osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, and psoriatic arthritis. Osteoarthritis is a degenerative joint disease that is the most chronic joint condition and affects approximately 33 million people. It results from the overuse of joints, is associated with aging, may be the consequence of demanding sports where may be injured, or obesity (Guilak, 2011). Osteoarthritis is most common in joints that bear weight, such as the spine, hips, knees and feet. Symptoms associated with osteoarthritis are localized pain while symptoms such as feeling ill and fatigue or tiredness are typically not present as other...
Words: 846 - Pages: 4
...Rheumatoid arthritis is the topic of my informative article, because my grandfather suffered from this disease. Rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune disorder that can cause chronic inflammation of the body’s joints and other symptoms. It is important for the public to know about this disease, how to prevent it, and how it can be treated. Rheumatoid arthritis is defined as an autoimmune disorder. This means that the immune system attacks body tissues, especially the small joints. Chronic inflammation can occur that may lead to deformities and corrosion of the joints, cartridge, and ligaments. Other body tissues and organs such as the eyes and blood vessels can also be affected. Common symptoms include stiffness, joint swelling, soreness, and rheumatoid nodules. This disease commonly leads to disability in its sufferers, and can even lead to heart disease....
Words: 412 - Pages: 2