Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is an autoimmune condition that occurs when the body begins attacking the joints, mistaking them as foreign invaders. The body attacks the thin membrane surrounding joints, allowing fluid and immune complexes to build up in the joints and cause significant pain. Normally these immune complexes filter out of your blood on their own, but when there is a build-up, they tend to settle into different joints and cause local inflammation and tissue damage. When these immune complexes build up in the joints, they can cause pain and swelling characteristic of Rheumatoid arthritis. (1)
From my experience, I noticed that Rheumatoid arthritis starts in the small joints such as hands, fingers, and toes. It then progresses to larger joints like the wrists, ankles, knees, and hips. The pain and swelling is usually on both sides of the body or in bi-lateral joints. Do you know that if someone in your family has Rheumatoid arthritis or any autoimmune disease, you are more likely to develop RA in your lifetime? I also noticed that when an individual is being diagnosed of Rheumatoid arthritis, the person is three times more likely to develop a second autoimmune condition. Additionally, I read a research that analyzed autoimmunity in identical twins and found out that genetics only account for 25% and environmental factors account for 75% of autoimmune conditions. (2)
