{"id":510,"date":"2017-10-24T14:27:40","date_gmt":"2017-10-24T11:27:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.findmecure.com\/blog\/?p=510"},"modified":"2017-11-07T15:15:40","modified_gmt":"2017-11-07T12:15:40","slug":"why-rheumatoid-arthritis-is-vastly-different-than-arthritis","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.findmecure.com\/blog\/why-rheumatoid-arthritis-is-vastly-different-than-arthritis\/","title":{"rendered":"Why Rheumatoid Arthritis is Vastly Different Than Arthritis"},"content":{"rendered":"

Rheumatoid arthritis is vastly different than what we simply call \u201carthritis<\/a>\u201d, which in most cases is the most common type \u2013 osteoarthritis<\/a>. But while osteoarthritis affects the cartilage that serves as a sort of a \u201ccushion\u201d between the two opposing ends of the bones of a joint, rheumatoid arthritis<\/a> can damage a number of other body systems as well along with your soul.<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re searching for a clinical trial, for example, you have to be really specific, as our search engine comes up with 576 clinical trials for \u201carthritis\u201d<\/a>, but as much as 370 are targeting rheumatoid arthritis<\/a> in particular.<\/p>\n

So, first of all, what exactly is rheumatoid arthritis <\/a>and what are the dangers?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Well, for one thing, rheumatoid arthritis doesn\u2019t keep its business in your joints like \u201coh, no, I already damaged the skeletal system, I think that\u2019s quite enough\u201d \u2013 nope. In some people, rheumatoid arthritis<\/a> also damages the skin, eyes and even the blood system. But why? For starters, because rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune inflammatory disease<\/a>. What this means is, the immune system\u2019s natural response to outside threats is mistakenly targeted at the body\u2019s own tissues. RA<\/a> (rheumatoid arthritis<\/a>) affects the lining of the membranes around joints (synovium) and can lead to deformity as well as bone erosion and, of course, chronic pain. But because it\u2019s an inflammatory disease, the inflammation itself is not contained in just one area and can easily damage other parts of the body as well.<\/p>\nExplore your new source of RA support<\/a>\n

While it is yet unknown what causes RA,<\/strong> it is largely accepted that certain genes can make you more likely to develop this autoimmune inflammation<\/a> due to outside factors which can trigger the disease, such as viruses. Some of the risk factors are gender and age \u2013 women between 40 and 60 years of age are more likely to develop RA, compared to men (even in the same age group). Other risk factors are, as always, family history of RA, smoking and obesity. And while none of these alone will trigger the development of the disease if there is no genetic predisposition, smoking<\/a>, for example, has been shown to increase the severity of the symptoms in people who do develop it.<\/p>\n

\"Rheumatoid
Rheumatoid Arthritis, FindMeCure, Clinical Trials<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

And because RA is not curable yet<\/strong> <\/a>(although, with 370 clinical trials<\/a> for it worldwide, a cure might be on its way), early diagnosis is very important. If you have a family member who suffers from RA, are a woman over 40, a smoker or have obesity, do not immediately go into panic, but be aware of the following:<\/p>\n