All about rheumatoid arthritis

Unlike the more common osteoarthritis, which is caused by damage to the cartilage of the joints, rheumatoid arthritis (RA) occurs when the body's immune system turns against itself, damaging joints and other organs. RA often occurs in a symmetrical pattern, meaning that if one knee or hand is involved, the other one is too. Typically the joints affected include the wrist and finer joints closest to the hand, with inflammation causing warmth, redness, swelling and pain.

The continuous inflammation associated with RA gradually destroys the cartilage that coats the end of the bones. This narrows the joint space and eventually damages bone. The surrounding muscles, ligaments and tendons that support and stabilise the joint also become weak and unable to work normally.

RA affects three in every 100 people in the UK. Women are commonly more affected than men, and the age of onset is 30-50 years of age. However, it can affect any age, including children.

What are the symptoms? Typical symptoms include:

• Tender, warm and swollen joints
• Joint inflammation, often affecting the wrist and finger joints closest to the hand (neck, shoulder, elbow, hip, knee, ankle and foot joints can also be involved)
• Fatigue
• Anaemia
• Occasional fever
• A general sense of malaise
• Pain and stiffness lasting for more than 30 minutes in the morning or after a long rest
• Rheumatoid nodules (bumps under the skin - often formed close to the joints - that affect about a quarter of those with RA) If you have any of these symptoms, you should visit a doctor.