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Plain arthritis is already something to be reckoned with, but must there be sub-categories? Rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis are that, only made more complicated. What is rheumatoid arthritis anyway? Traditionally, it is considered an autoimmune disease characterized by a chronic and inflammatory attack on the joints. It is a systemic disease, thus it can also affect other parts of the body. The disease can last for years, but patients may experience periods that are free of rheumatoid arthritis symptoms. However, it is typically progressive, leading to pain-induced loss of mobility and joint destruction.

If they are so debilitating, what exactly are rheumatoid arthritis symptoms? One thing you have to understand about rheumatoid arthritis is that symptoms will only be present when the disease is active. When the tissues are not inflamed, the disease is at a dormant phase. Rheumatoid arthritis symptoms include fatigue, lack of appetite, weight loss, fever, malaise, pains, and stiffness. You will notice that pain and stiffness are worse after a long period of inactivity, such as upon waking up in the morning. Rheumatoid arthritis symptoms seem to attack with symmetry, affecting both sides of the body. Joints also look “doughy”, red and swollen, and very painful.

There are rheumatoid arthritis symptoms that are peculiar to cases that have targeted other body parts. Should the disease strike the joint at the vocal cords, one of the symptoms may be a hoarse voice. If the eyes and the mouth be affected, these organs will experience dryness. Chest pains may also occur if rheumatoid arthritis affects the lungs or the heart. Other complications of the disease include anemia, Felty’s Syndrome, and blood vessel inflammation, which can lead to tissue death. Tissue death manifests itself as black areas around the nail beds and as leg ulcers.

Rheumatoid arthritis, as mentioned earlier, is an autoimmune disease. Its cause is yet unknown and research is being actively carried out in many parts of the world. Some theories have pointed to the factors of genetics and the environment as possible influences of the disease. It is thought that rheumatoid arthritis may be inherited or may be brought on by certain activities like smoking, but such theories have not been proven yet.

The difference between rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis lies in the fact that the former is inflammatory in nature and the latter is not. Whichever it is, treatment would center on pain relief and damage control for the joints.

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