Rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune disease that causes chronic
inflammation of the joints. Rheumatoid arthritis can also cause inflammation
of the tissue around the joints, as well as other organs in the body.
Autoimmune diseases are illnesses which occur when the body tissues
are mistakenly attacked by its own immune system. The immune system
is a complex organization of cells and antibodies designed normally
to "seek and destroy" invaders of the body, particularly
infections. Patients with these diseases have antibodies in their
blood which target their own body tissues, where they can be associated
with inflammation.
Because it can affect multiple other organs of the body, rheumatoid
arthritis is referred to as a systemic illness and is sometimes called
rheumatoid disease.
While rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic illness, meaning it can last
for years, patients may experience long periods without symptoms.
Typically, however, rheumatoid arthritis is a progressive illness
that has the potential to cause joint destruction and functional disability.
A joint is where two bones meet to allow movement of body parts. Arthritis
means joint inflammation. The joint inflammation of rheumatoid arthritis
causes swelling, pain, stiffness, and redness in the joints. The inflammation
of rheumatoid disease can also occur in tissues around the joints,
such as the tendons, ligaments, and muscles.
In some patients with rheumatoid arthritis, chronic inflammation leads
to the destruction of the cartilage, bone and ligaments causing deformity
of the joints. Damage to the joints can occur early in the disease
and be progressive. Moreover, studies have shown that the progressive
damage to the joints does not necessarily correlate with the degree
of pain, stiffness, or swelling present in the joints.
Rheumatoid arthritis is three times more common in women as in men.
It afflicts people of all races equally. The disease can begin at
any age, but most often starts after age forty and before sixty. In
some families, multiple members can be affected, suggesting a genetic
basis for the disorder.
What causes Rheumatoid Arthritis?
The cause of rheumatoid arthritis is unknown. Even though infectious
agents such as viruses, bacteria, and fungi have long been suspected,
none has been proven as the cause. The cause of rheumatoid arthritis
is a very active area of worldwide research. Some scientists believe
that the tendency to develop rheumatoid arthritis may be genetically
inherited. It is suspected that certain infections or factors in the
environment might trigger the immune system to attack the body's own
tissues, resulting in inflammation in various organs of the body such
as the lungs or eyes.
Environmental factors also seem to play some role in the cause of
rheumatoid arthritis. Recently, scientists have reported that smoking
tobacco increases the risk of developing rheumatoid arthritis.
What are the symptoms of Rheumatoid Arthritis?
The symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis come and go, depending on the
degree of tissue inflammation. When body tissues are inflamed, the
disease is active. When tissue inflammation subsides, the disease
is inactive (in remission). Remissions can occur spontaneously or
with treatment, and can last weeks, months, or years. During remissions,
symptoms of the disease disappear, and patients generally feel well.
When the disease becomes active again (relapse), symptoms return.
The return of disease activity and symptoms is called a flare. The
course of rheumatoid arthritis varies from patient to patient, and
periods of flares and remissions are typical.
When the disease is active, symptoms can include fatigue, lack of
appetite, low grade fever, muscle and joint aches, and stiffness.
Muscle and joint stiffness are usually most notable in the morning
and after periods of inactivity. Arthritis is common during disease
flares. During flares, joints frequently become red, swollen, painful,
and tender. This occurs because the lining tissue of the joint (synovium)
becomes inflamed, resulting in the production of excessive joint fluid
(synovial fluid). The synovium also thickens with inflammation (synovitis).
In rheumatoid arthritis, multiple joints are usually inflamed in
a symmetrical pattern (both sides of the body affected). The small
joints of both the hands and wrists are often involved. Simple tasks
of daily living, such as turning door knobs and opening jars can become
difficult during flares.
The small joints of the feet are also commonly involved. Occasionally,
only one joint is inflamed. When only one joint is involved, the arthritis
can mimic the joint inflammation caused by other forms of arthritis
such as gout or joint infection. Chronic inflammation can cause damage
to body tissues, cartilage and bone. This leads to a loss of cartilage
and erosion and weakness of the bones as well as the muscles, resulting
in joint deformity, destruction, and loss of function. Rarely, rheumatoid
arthritis can even affect the joint that is responsible for the tightening
our vocal cords to change the tone of our voice, the cricoarytenoid
joint. When this joint is inflamed, it can cause hoarseness of voice.
Since rheumatoid arthritis is a systemic disease, its inflammation
can affect organs and areas of the body other than the joints. Inflammation
of the glands of the eyes and mouth can cause dryness of these areas
and is referred to as Sjogren's syndrome. Rheumatoid inflammation
of the lung lining (pleuritis) causes chest pain with deep breathing
or coughing. The lung tissue itself can also become inflamed and sometimes
nodules of inflammation (rheumatoid nodules) develop within the lungs.
Inflammation around the heart (pericarditis) can cause a chest pain
that typically changes in intensity when lying down or leaning forward.
The rheumatoid disease can reduce the number of red blood cells (anemia),
and white blood cells. Decreased white cells can be associated with
an enlarged spleen (referred to as Felty's syndrome) and can increase
the risk of infections. Firm lumps under the skin (rheumatoid nodules)
can occur around the elbows and fingers where there is frequent pressure.
Even though these nodules usually do not cause symptoms, occasionally
they can become infected. A rare, serious complication, usually with
long-standing rheumatoid disease, is blood vessel inflammation (vasculitis).
Vasculitis can impair blood supply to tissues and lead to tissue death.
This is most often initially visible as tiny black areas around the
nail beds or as leg ulcers.
Joint Tissues: The main component of ligament, tendons,
cartilages and spinal discs is collagen. Collagen is found in skin,
bone, cartilage, ligaments and tendons and constitutes a white fibrous
connective tissue. The name Collagen is derived from the Greek and
means ‘to produce glue’. These joint tissues are in substances
called ‘proteoglycans’; this acts as a framework in the
making of collagen, resulting in cartilage flexibility and ability
to resist impact
Proteoglycans are 95% glycosaminoglycans (GAG’s) and 5% protein.
Proteoglycans act as a framework in the modelling of collagen. GAG’s
are essentially polysaccharide sugars and also build aggrecan, which
is found in cartilage of joints and is responsible for the shock absorbing
quality of joint cartilage.
Understanding Arthritis: The early stages of Osteoarthritis are when synovial fluid viscosity, water content and tissue elasticity begins to breakdown. Synovial fluid and water are needed to lubricate, nourish and hydrate cartilage. Nutrients such as Vitamin C and MSM, which is naturally occurring Sulphur use these fluids to access cartilage, it also requires nutrients such as B-vitamin and minerals, without these, joint cells suffer poor nutrition and synthesis of GAG’s is less, furthermore this provides less shock absorbing properties. The lack of sufficient sulphur and other vitamin and mineral nutrition, slows down cell detoxification, this means cells have no vitality and inflammation occurs.