Grow Youthful: How to Slow Your Aging and Enjoy Extraordinary Health
Grow Youthful: How to Slow Your Aging and Enjoy Extraordinary Health

Arthritis (Rheumatoid arthritis, RA)

What is rheumatoid arthritis?

Symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis

Causes of rheumatoid arthritis

Remedies for rheumatoid arthritis

References

What is rheumatoid arthritis?

There are over 100 forms of arthritis. The most common form of arthritis is osteoarthritis (degenerative joint disease). The second most common is rheumatoid arthritis (RA), a chronic inflammation autoimmune disease that can affect anyone at any age. RA affects not only the joints of the fingers, wrists, hips, knees and feet, but also the muscles, tendons and other tissues in the body. Other forms of arthritis include psoriatic arthritis, and various autoimmune diseases in which the body attacks itself. Septic arthritis is caused by joint infection.

In the USA over 33 million people have some form of arthritis of which about 1.5 million of them are rheumatoid arthritis. 75% of RA cases are women.

Arthritis can make it difficult for the sufferer to get sufficient exercise and sleep, so contributing to an increased risk of other degenerative diseases like obesity, insomnia, heart and artery disease. People with arthritis are also at increased risk of depression, probably because of a fear of worsening symptoms and decreasing ability to work and contribute. More than three quarters of people over the age of 50 in rich countries like the USA experience arthritis in some form, to some degree.

Rheumatoid arthritis often develops into osteoarthritis.

Symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis

Rheumatoid arthritis first tends to affect the smaller joints like the finger and toe knuckles. As RA progresses it affects the larger joints, spreading to the wrists, knees, ankles and elbows. Lastly it tends to attack the hips, shoulders and spine (usually in the neck rather than lower back). In most cases, symptoms occur equally on both sides of the body unless there is injury on one side.

Causes of rheumatoid arthritis

Remedies for rheumatoid arthritis

References

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2. Meagan E Chriswell, Adam R Lefferts, Michael R Clay, Alex Ren Hsu, Jennifer Seifert, Marie L Feser, Cliff Rims, Michelle S Bloom, Elizabeth A Bemis, Sucai Liu, Megan D Maerz, Daniel N Frank, M Kristen Demoruelle, Kevin D Deane, Eddie A James, Jane H Buckner, William H Robinson, V Michael Holers, Kristine A. Kuhn. Clonal IgA and IgG autoantibodies from individuals at risk for rheumatoid arthritis identify an arthritogenic strain of Subdoligranulum. Science Translational Medicine, 26 October 2022, Vol 14, Issue 668. DOI: 10.1126/scitranslmed.abn.

3. Jeremy Sokolove, Reuven Bromberg, Kevin D Deane, Lauren J Lahey, Lezlie A Derber, Piyanka E Chandra, Jess D Edison, William R Gilliland, Robert J Tibshirani, Jill M Norris, V Michael Holers, William H Robinson. Autoantibody Epitope Spreading in the Pre-Clinical Phase Predicts Progression to Rheumatoid Arthritis. PLOS ONE, Published 25 May 2012.

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6. Z Bentwich, Robert Bingham, Mark Hegsted, Herbert Hunt, Prof Jeffries, Jack Loneragan, Loughman, O.O. Myers, Ploquin, Hans Neiper, Rex E. Newnham, et al. Boron and Arthritis. Arthritis Trust of America. 1994.