Table of Contents
- Overview
- Symptoms
- Treatment
- Prevention
- Images
Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a long-term disease that leads to inflammation of the joints and surrounding tissues. It can also affect other organs.
Alternative Names
RA; Arthritis - rheumatoid
Causes, incidence, and risk factors
The cause of RA is unknown. It is an autoimmune disease, which means the body's immune system mistakenly attacks healthy tissue.
RA can occur at any age, but is more common in middle age. Women get RA more often than men.
Infection, genes, and hormone changes may be linked to the disease.
Images
Review Date: 02/14/2011
Reviewed By: Michael E. Makover, MD is a professor and attending in rheumatology
at the New York University Medical Center, New York, NY. Review
provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network. Also reviewed by David
Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.
A.D.A.M., Inc. is accredited by URAC, also known as the American Accreditation HealthCare Commission (www.urac.org)
