Rheumtoid Arthritis - Essay Example

The immune system marks these body parts as invaders, and continues the immune system response against them. This is what causes the inflaming; inflammation is one of several different responses of the immune system. There are several different types of treatment available for the disease. The disease can be treated with different drugs, as well as certain other effective measures in combating the disease. Therapy is also used as treatment, and several different types of therapy are available to help people living with the disease.

The disease’s own course is different for each person. In some cases, the disease has been know to retreat and only have short symptoms, but for the majority of cases, the disease continues to get worse for the remainder of the patient’s lifetime. People living with the disease can expect their life time to be shortened by 5-10 years, however therapy can combat this effect of the disease. Rheumatoid Arthritis is a “chronic, inflammatory, multisystem, autoimmune disorder” (Rheumatoid).

The stiffness associated with the disease usually starts in the morning, and can last up to an hour after the person wakes up. The pain is usually worse in the morning, unlike osteoarthritis where the pain gets worse as the day goes on (Rheumatoid). As the disease progresses, the inflammation can wear away and destroy the joint it has affected. This can causes a loss of movement in the joint, and also lead to deformity (Rheumatoid). Many patients may also develop anemia with the disease, and it can come directly from the disease or as a side effect of bleeding cause by drugs taken for treatment.

For people in the age range 20-40, the disease occurs most frequently. Family history is an important factor in developing the disease. Also, the disease is three times more likely to happen in women than men,