General Facts About Rheumatoid Arthritis

July 25th, 2010 by Zandra Jones, RN BBA

The condition often causes harm to the bones and joints particularly in the hands and feet even though a patient can have this condition in any joint in the body. Rheumatoid arthritis is classified as an autoimmune disorder, which in general terms, mean that the immune system does not function properly and will attack the body’s own cells.

Rheumatoid arthritis is characterized by symptoms such as swelling, pain, fever, body stiffness, redness, and extreme exhaustion. It is often thought that if the pain is not constant or widespread, a person may not have rheumatoid arthritis, however, that is not at all the case. This condition can effect a minimal to a vast number of joints in the body with no way to determine how far it will spread. An example is when a patient may begin to notice symptoms in the hands then the pain and discomfort continues to spread to your arms.

There are various pain levels that people with the condition experience. Sometimes pain may be evident for a week and then disappear for months, then reoccur without notice. Other people suffer constantly from chronic, excruciating pain. Rheumatoid arthritis is very unpredictable in its spread as well as its pain levels experienced by various patients. The disease is diagnosed by a combination of x-rays, blood work and patient history. The exact cause of rheumatoid arthritis is still unknown although research continues to search for better ways to combat and cure the illness. Since it is classified under the branch of autoimmune diseases, many researchers are convinced that the cause or at least part of the cause is a result of family genetics.

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