By
Nick on Saturday, September 1st, 2007 |
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If you’re reading this, chances are you or a loved one suffers from rheumatoid arthritis, a chronic inflammatory autoimmune disorder that not only attacks the joints like other forms of arthritis, but organs like the heart and lungs as well.
Rheumatoid arthritis, unlike many other kinds of arthritis, also usually affects both the right and left side of the body symmetrically. For instance, both your hands will be inflamed, rather than just one, making any task all the more difficult as you do not have one part of the body to lead over the other. This adds to the frustration of the disease, further hindering mobility. For those living with rheumatoid arthritis, whether they are in chronic pain or suffer from flares, there is no aspect of their life that is not affected by the disease.
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By
Nick on Monday, August 27th, 2007 |
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Rheumatoid Arthritis, or RA, is an autoimmune disorder, causing your immune system to attack the joints, causing a painful inflammation. Unlike other forms of arthritis like osteoarthritis, RA also attacks the organs like the heart, eyes and lungs. Of the 100+ forms of arthritis, this is one of the most debilitating varieties.
Rheumatoid Arthritis affects 1 out of 100 North Americans, or 2.1 million people, and women are three times more likely to get the disease than men. The cause of RA is unknown, but a popular theory points to the disease being infectious as those who have close friends or family with the disorder are more likely to develop it themselves. Susceptibility to the disease may also be an inherited trait as well.
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