Rheumatoid Arthritis Essay

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Rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune disease that can cause chronic inflammation of the joints and other areas of the body. It is a chronic disease, characterized by periods of disease flares and remissions. The cause of rheumatoid arthritis is not known, it can affect all different ages. It causes pain, swelling, and stiffness. If one knee or hand has rheumatoid arthritis, usually the other does too. This disease often occurs in more than one joint and can affect any joint in the body. People with this disease may feel sick and tired, and they sometimes get fevers. Some people have this disease for only a few months or a year or two. Then it goes away without causing damage. Other people have times when the symptoms get worse (flares), and times when they get better (remissions). Others have a severe form of the disease that can last for many years or a lifetime. This form of the disease can cause serious joint damage. Doctors don't know the exact cause of rheumatoid arthritis. They know that with this arthritis, a person's immune system attacks his or her own body tissues. Researchers are learning many things about why and how this happens. Things that may cause rheumatoid arthritis are genes (passed from parent to child) Environment, Hormones. People can go to a family doctor or rheumatologist to be diagnosed. A rheumatologist is a doctor who helps people with problems in the joints, bones, and muscles. Rheumatoid arthritis can be hard to diagnose because. There is no single test for the disease .The symptoms can be the same as other kinds of joint disease .The full symptoms can take time to develop. To diagnose rheumatoid arthritis, doctors use medical history, physical exam, x rays, and lab tests. Most people with rheumatoid arthritis take medicine. Drugs can be used for pain relief, to reduce swelling, and to stop the disease from getting worse. What a

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