Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic inflammatory disorder with a wide-reaching impact on the body. It primarily affects the joints, but can also damage a range of body systems, including the skin, eyes, lungs, heart, and blood vessels.
One common comorbid autoimmune disease seen with RA is systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), which can affect all body parts, causing pain, inflammation, and various symptoms. Another is psoriatic arthritis (PsA), the second most common autoimmune disease in people with RA.
Arthritis, in general, involves the swelling and tenderness of one or more joints. The main symptoms are joint pain and stiffness, which typically worsen with age. The most prevalent types of arthritis are osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis.
Rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune and inflammatory disease, leading to the immune system mistakenly attacking healthy cells, causing inflammation in affected body parts. It often attacks multiple joints simultaneously, commonly affecting the hands, wrists, and knees.
As a chronic autoimmune disease, RA occurs in joints on both sides of the body, differing from other arthritis types. Symptoms include pain and inflammation in fingers, hands, wrists, knees, ankles, feet, and toes.
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