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Rheumatoid Arthritis

Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic inflammatory disorder that can affect more than just your joints. In some people, the condition can damage a wide variety of body systems, including the skin, eyes, lungs, heart and blood vessels.

An autoimmune disorder, rheumatoid arthritis occurs when your immune system mistakenly attacks your own body's tissues. Surgery for Rheumatoid Arthritis to reduce damage.

Unlike the wear-and-tear damage of osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis affects the lining of your joints, causing a painful swelling that can eventually result in bone erosion and joint deformity.

The inflammation associated with rheumatoid arthritis is what can damage other parts of the body as well. While new types of medications have improved treatment options dramatically, severe rheumatoid arthritis can still cause physical disabilities.

Arthritis & Rheumatology

Symptoms

Signs and symptoms of rheumatoid arthritismay include:

  • imageTender, warm, swollen joints
  • imageJoint stiffness that is usually worse in the mornings and after inactivity
  • imageFatigue, fever and loss of appetite

Early rheumatoid arthritis tends to affect your smaller joints first — particularly the joints that attach your fingers to your hands and your toes to your feet.

As the disease progresses, symptoms often spread to the wrists, knees, ankles, elbows, hips and shoulders. In most cases, symptoms occur in the same joints on both sides of your body.

About 40% of people who have rheumatoid arthritis also experience signs and symptoms that don't involve the joints. Areas that may be affected include:

  • imageSkin
  • imageEyes
  • imageLungs
  • imageHeart
  • imageKidneys
  • imageSalivary glands
  • imageNerve tissue
  • imageBone marrow
  • imageBlood vessels

Rheumatoid arthritis signs and symptoms may vary in severity and may even come and go. Periods of increased disease activity, called flares, alternate with periods of relative remission — when the swelling and pain fade or disappear. Over time, rheumatoid arthritis can cause joints to deform and shift out of place.

When to see a doctor

Make an appointment with your doctor if you have persistent discomfort and swelling in your joints.

Causes

Rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune disease. Normally, your immune system helps protect your body from infection and disease. In rheumatoid arthritis, your immune system attacks healthy tissue in your joints. It can also cause medical problems with your heart, lungs, nerves, eyes and skin.

Doctors don't know what starts this process, although a genetic component appears likely. While your genes don't actually cause rheumatoid arthritis, they can make you more likely to react to environmental factors — such as infection with certain viruses and bacteria — that may trigger the disease.

Risk factors

Factors that may increase your risk of rheumatoid arthritis include:

  • imageYour sex
  • imageAge
  • imageFamily history
  • imageSmoking
  • imageExcess weigh
Complications

Rheumatoid arthritis increases your risk of developing:

  • imageOsteoporosis
  • imageRheumatoid nodules
  • imageDry eyes and mouth
  • imageInfections
  • imageAbnormal body composition
  • imageCarpal tunnel syndrome
  • imageHeart problems
  • imageLung disease
  • imageLymphoma

About Doctor:

Dr.KHALEELULLAH is a renowned gold medal award-winning Orthopaedician in Hyderabad. He has got extensive experience of more than 15 years and positioned himself as the best orthopedic surgeon in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. He worked for nearly 8 years in the prestigious Nizams Institute of Medical Sciences(NIMS), Hyderabad where he acquired vast skills and knowledge about managing complicated orthopedic problems. He proved himself as the right Ortho Surgeon with MCH specialization with his deep interest in the area of joint reconstruction surgeries.

Arthritis & Rheumatology

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