Joint Anatomy
Your joint is a place where two bones with ends covered in cartilage meet. The National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases state that your joints are lined and surrounded with tissue called synovium, which protects and supports your joints. It produces a clear substance called synovial fluid, which acts as a lubricant and supplies nourishment to your cartilage and bones. According to the National Institutes of Health, rheumatoid arthritis damages the structures of the joints usually in the hands, feet, hips, knees, wrists and spine. It is a chronic condition that goes through periods of flare ups and remissions.
Joint Inflammation
For reasons not well understood, your body's immune system mistakes your healthy tissue for a foreign invader and attacks it. In the first stage of RA, these abnormal cells attack the joint and cause the synovium of the joint(s) to become inflamed. According to the Arthritis Foundation, this is due to an antibody called the rheumatoid factor (RF). Rheumatoid factor is present to help regulate anitbodies however it is found in a higher concentration in those with RA. Not everyone with an elevated RA factor gets RA, however in most cases the higher your RA factor the more disabling your condition will be.
Structural Damage
With rheumatoid your syovium swells and you may experience joint pain, warmth, stiffness, redness and swelling. You may notice more pain and stiffness in the morning and after periods of inactivity. The Arthritis Foundation claims that the disease may progress to the second stage of RA, during which there is a rapid division and growth rate of cells causing the synovium to thicken. In the third stage of this disease, the cells in your affected joint release enzymes that can digest bone and cartilage. In severe cases, the ends of the bone can grow together and fuse. As this process occurs your joint(s) may become misshaped and misaligned. In addition, nearby muscles, ligaments, and tendons become weak and lose their ability to stabilize your joint . You may also notice growths called rheumatoid nodules in the affected joints.
Organs Can be Affected
Since rheumatoid arthritis is a condition in which the immune system attacks itself, it is a systemic disease, which means it can cause problems throughout the body. You may feel fatigued, weak, experience flu-like systems, have low grade fever, decreased appetite, struggle with depression, have unexplained weight loss, anemia, or notice that your hands and feet get cold. This condition usually affects both sides of the body, unlike osteoarthritis which can be in just one joint on just one side of the body. According to the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases, some patients with RA also experience neck pain and dry eyes and mouth. In rare cases there may be an inflammation of the blood vessels, the lining of the lungs, or the sac that encloses.
