What is rheumatoid arthritis?
What is rheumatoid arthritis?
Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a systemic, inflammatory disease in which joint disease is center-stage, with a background of constitutional and internal manifestations. Systemic means that many parts of the body can be involved. Inflammatory means that the patient presents with redness, warmth, swelling and functional limitation in the joints. This can lead to joint damage, a major focus of the newer therapies for RA. Constitutional and internal manifestations mean that the body’s immune and inflammatory systems of the body are activated, can affect various tissues throughout the body, and can cause fatigue and weight loss.