Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) facts

• Rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune disease that can cause chronic inflammation of the joints and other areas of the body.
• Rheumatoid arthritis can affect people of all ages.
• The cause of rheumatoid arthritis is not known.
• Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic disease, characterized by periods of disease flares and remissions.
• In rheumatoid arthritis, multiple joints are usually, but not always, affected in a symmetrical pattern.
• Chronic inflammation of rheumatoid arthritis can cause permanent joint destruction and deformity.
• Damage to joints can occur early and does not correlate with the severity of symptoms.
• The "rheumatoid factor" is an antibody that can be found in the blood of 80% of people with rheumatoid arthritis.
• There is no known cure for rheumatoid arthritis.
• The treatment of rheumatoid arthritis optimally involves a combination of patient education, rest and exercise, joint protection, medications, and occasionally surgery.
• Early treatment of rheumatoid arthritis results in better outcomes.