Rheumatoid Arthritis

Rheumatoid arthritis is the second most common form of arthritis and is caused by a deficiency in the body’s immune system which causes the immune system to attack the lining of your joints.

We do not fully understand why the immune system turns to attack the body but in rheumatoid arthritis the white blood cells attack the synovial membrane which lines your joints and does so in a very precise manner following four steps:

1. The white cells attack the synovial membrane which becomes inflamed and causes the joint as a whole to swell. This attack, which can be very painful, also causes the cells within the membrane to begin dividing and growing in an abnormal manner.
2. The growing and dividing synovial cells start to fight back but, in doing so, attack the healthy tissue surrounding the joint and, in particular, attack both cartilage and bone.
3. The space within the joint begins to narrow as the structures supporting the joint are weakened. As this happens the cells which are responsible for causing inflammation begin to release an enzyme which itself starts eating into the cartilage and bone.
4. Finally, the joint succumbs to this onslaught from all sides and collapses, often ending up misaligned and misshapen.

One important facet of rheumatoid arthritis is that it does not necessarily confine itself to the joints and can spread throughout the body to effect such areas as the eyes, heart, lungs and several other internal organs.

Another important aspect of this particular form of arthritis is that it can be present in some sufferers for a relatively short period of time (anywhere from a few weeks to a year or two) and then disappear, never to return again.

Rheumatoid arthritis can however also be a very serious condition producing painful flare-ups which come and go for years leaving people relatively pain free in between episodes or leaving sufferers in pain for most of the time and with serious and crippling damage to their joints.

The good news however is that rheumatoid arthritis can be effectively treated in the vast majority of cases and sufferers can lead happy and productive lives with the minimum of pain and inconvenience.

What Causes Rheumatoid Arthritis

Rheumatoid Arthritis Of The Hand

Just as we do not fully understand the mechanism which causes the body’s immune system to turn and attack the synovial membrane, we are also at a loss to fully explain why the immune system should turn on itself at all. In general however most people now incline to the view that genetics play a significant role in the cause of rheumatoid arthritis.

A lot, though not all, of the people with the disease have the HLA-DR4 genetic marker and so many believe that this plays a role. The fact that it is not present in all sufferers however leads many to believe that this is just one of several genetic markers which have a role to play. The fact that it is not present in all sufferers also suggests that genes play a role but are not the central factor is causing rheumatoid arthritis.

Another theory is that a virus, or possibly an as yet unidentified bacterium, triggers a gene and sets in motion the development of the disease.

Finally, there are those who believe that a hormone deficiency is responsible for triggering rheumatoid arthritis. This theory has some merit since women are more susceptible to the disease than men, suggestion a connection to estrogen. The problem with this, and indeed all other theories, is that they are just that – theories! As yet nobody really knows what causes rheumatoid arthritis.

What we can say however is that rheumatoid arthritis is more common in women than it is in men and tends to strike between the ages of about twenty and fifty. That said, it can strike at any age and is seen in children, the middle-aged and the elderly. It can strike both men and women and does not favor any particular racial or ethnic group.

Learn more about…

The symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis

Rheumatoid arthritis treatment