Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic inflammatory disease that mostly affects joints and lost long. This condition causes pain, swelling, stiffness, and loss of function in joints. It is an autoimmune condition where the immune system attacks the healthy joint tissues. Instead of protecting the body from external invasion such as virus, bacteria, immune system attacks joints attack the joints.

Features of Rheumatoid arthritis include:

• It affects the lining of the joints, which damages the tissue that covers the ends of the bones in a joint.
• It occurs in a symmetrical pattern, meaning that if one knee or hand has the condition, the other hand or knee too.
• It affects the whole-body joints -wrist, hands, feet, spine, knees, and jaw.
• Condition can cause fatigue, occasional fevers, and a loss of appetite that results in weight loss.
• In addition, it can also affect other organs such as the heart, lungs, blood, nerves, eyes, and skin.

References:

1. https://www.niams.nih.gov/health-topics/rheumatoid-arthritis

2. https://creakyjoints.org/

3. https://www.practicalpainmanagement.com/

4. www.healthylife.werindia.com

Image credit:

1. www.scientificanimations.com, CC BY-SA 4.0 , via Wikimedia Commons

2. User:Phoenix119, CC BY-SA 3.0 , via Wikimedia Commons

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4. Photo by Towfiqu barbhuiya on Unsplash

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