A chronic inflammatory disorder, rheumatoid arthritis can affect more than just the joints. In certain people, it can damage a wide range of body systems, including the skin, the blood vessels, the eyes, the lungs, and the heart.

An autoimmune disease, rheumatoid arthritis occurs when the immune system, which protects the body against foreign substances like bacteria and viruses, mistakenly attacks the body’s own tissues. This causes inflammation leading to the thickening of tissue that lines the inside of joints (the synovium), leading to swelling and pain in and around the joints. A fluid that lubricates the joints and helps them move smoothly is produced by the synovium.

The cartilage, the elastic tissue that covers the ends of the bones in a joint, and the bones themselves can get damaged if the inflammation goes unchecked and untreated. Over a period of time, there is a loss of cartilage and the joint spacing present between the bones can become smaller. Joints may become loose, lose their mobility, unstable, and painful. Also, joint deformity may occur. Damage to the joints cannot be reversed. As it can occur early, doctors recommend early diagnosis and aggressive treatment to control rheumatoid arthritis.

Most commonly, rheumatoid arthritis affects the joints of the hands, ankles, feet, knees, wrists, and the elbows. The effect is usually symmetrical, which means if one knee or hand is affected, usually the other one gets affected too. As rheumatoid arthritis affects body systems like the cardiovascular or respiratory systems, it is known as a systemic disease. The meaning of systemic is “entire body”.

Causes
As mentioned earlier, rheumatoid arthritis occurs when the immune system attacks the synovium, which is the lining of the membranes that surround the joints. The resulting inflammation thickens the synovium, which eventually can destroy the cartilage and the bone within the joint. The joint’s tendons and ligaments, which hold it together, weaken and stretch. Gradually, this leads to the joint losing its shape and alignment.

Doctors don’t know what exactly causes rheumatoid arthritis; however, a genetic component appears to play a role. While genes don’t actually cause this disease, they can make one more susceptible to environmental factors, such as infections with certain viruses and bacteria, that may it.

Risk factors
Factors that can increase an individual’s risk of suffering from rheumatoid arthritis are:

• Sex – Women more than men are more likely to develop rheumatoid arthritis.
• Age – Rheumatoid arthritis can happen at any age, but it commonly begins in the middle age.
• Family history – If a member of the family has rheumatoid arthritis, an individual has an increased risk of the disease.
• Smoking – If you have a genetic predisposition for developing rheumatoid arthritis, cigarette smoking increases the risk of suffering from the disease. Smoking even appears to be associated with greater disease severity.
• Environmental exposures – Although not completely understood, exposure to some elements in nature, such as asbestos or silica, may increase an individual’s risk of suffering from rheumatoid arthritis. Emergency workers who were exposed to the dust from the collapse of the World Trade Center are at a higher risk of suffering from autoimmune diseases, such as rheumatoid arthritis.
• Obesity – Individuals, especially women aged 55 and younger, who are overweight or obese seem to be at a somewhat higher risk of developing rheumatoid arthritis.