| Rheumatoid arthritis is a disease the particularly | | | | may begin to notice symptoms in the hands then the |
| affects the joints, causing them to become severely | | | | pain and discomfort continues to spread to your arms. |
| inflamed. The condition often causes harm to the | | | | There are various pain levels that people with the |
| bones and joints particularly in the hands and feet | | | | condition experience. Sometimes pain may be evident |
| even though a patient can have this condition in any | | | | for a week and then disappear for months, then |
| joint in the body. Rheumatoid arthritis is classified as an | | | | reoccur without notice. Other people suffer constantly |
| autoimmune disorder, which in general terms, mean | | | | from chronic, excruciating pain. Rheumatoid arthritis is |
| that the immune system does not function properly | | | | very unpredictable in its spread as well as its pain |
| and will attack the body's own cells. | | | | levels experienced by various patients. The disease is |
| Rheumatoid arthritis is characterized by symptoms | | | | diagnosed by a combination of x-rays, blood work and |
| such as swelling, pain, fever, body stiffness, redness, | | | | patient history. The exact cause of rheumatoid arthritis |
| and extreme exhaustion. It is often thought that if the | | | | is still unknown although research continues to search |
| pain is not constant or widespread, a person may not | | | | for better ways to combat and cure the illness. Since it |
| have rheumatoid arthritis, however, that is not at all the | | | | is classified under the branch of autoimmune diseases, |
| case. This condition can effect a minimal to a vast | | | | many researchers are convinced that the cause or at |
| number of joints in the body with no way to determine | | | | least part of the cause is a result of family genetics. |
| how far it will spread. An example is when a patient | | | | |