Autoimmune Factors
The body’s immune system plays a role in the development of arthritis. Inflammatory arthritis is one form of arthritis where the immune system produces antibodies that attack the organs and joints. Healthcare providers do not know what causes the dysfunction, but they think it may be due to environmental exposure, infections, or genetic predisposition. Examples of this type of arthritis include lupus, juvenile idiopathic arthritis, psoriatic arthritis, and rheumatoid arthritis.
The symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis vary, as does the progression rate of the disease. Unfortunately, there is still no cure for this debilitating condition. But various treatments are now available to improve the quality of life of people with rheumatoid arthritis.
The symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis usually begin slowly. They can appear and go, although the inflammation and joint pain often affect both sides of the body. Some signs include deformed joints, reduced range of motion, hard bumps of tissue under the skin on the arms, difficulty sleeping, dry mouth, and weight loss. Other signs are fatigue, various eye disorders, anemia, fever, and pain in the chest when breathing.
According to the medical community, about 1.5 million people in the U.S. have rheumatoid arthritis, 75 percent of them female.
