Under the term of rheumatoid arthritis, or RA, stands an inflammatory disease that affects the joints, tissues and organs of the body causing inflammation and severe pain. Unlike osteoarthritis, which attacks only joints, RA’s field of influence is much broader. It causes inflammation in legs and hands as well as in the lungs, heart and skin. Mostly people in their 40 and 50 suffer from this condition and their number is not very high.

The first symptom of the condition is inflammation of the joints in the hands, feet and cervical spine. This is what happens first. Later it can lead to further complications like synovitis. This is a condition when inflammation happens to the membranes that surround the joints. The further, the worse: the synovial lining wears off and the joints deform. It all may end up with disability.

In the case when skin is affected by RA small nodules containing lymphocytes and plasma cells appear around the joints. Sweet’s syndrome, which means thinning of the skin and its fragility, can also be a consequence of RA.

RA is also able to affect inner organs and cause plural effusions in the lungs and artherosclerosis, myocardial infarction as well, fibrosis of the lungs and also renal amyloidosis in the kidneys.

There are several ways to diagnose RA and the main are X-rays and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Blood tests are also used in the purposes of specification of arthritis types. There are also some symptoms characteristic to this very condition. They are morning stiffness that continues more than six weeks and lasts more than an hour; soft tissues swelling and nodules on bony prominences that are noticed for the same period of time; joint erosion proved by X-Ray or MRI.

The condition of RA is such that there are no cures for it yet. All that modern medicine can do is provide the sufferer with pain-relieving medications. The medicines are intended to lighten the pain from the inflammation in joints and tissues and also meat to reduce the speed of the disease progress. Cortisone and anti-rheumatic medications are the most frequently used in RA treatment as well as some anti-inflammatory drugs.

There is one more way of RA treatment and this is joint replacement surgery. Mostly it is knee that is replaced more often than the others. It is also not an absolute cure as the replacement does not prevent the disease from further development but it gradually relieves the whole condition.

There are also some alternative conditions like radon therapy, therapy with medicinal marijuana and acupuncture. Changes in a person’s daily allowance can also be of assistance, especially addition of foods rich in omega 3 oils.