RA FACT: Fact: Rheumatoid arthritis is not "regular arthritis." What we think of as “regular arthritis” is osteoarthritis, caused by injury or normal wear-and-tear on aging joints. Osteoarthritis is the most common joint disease in middle age to older people. By contrast, rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic, progressive autoimmune disorder. In response to an unknown trigger, the body makes antibodies that attack its own tissues. The self-attacks mostly affect the joints, although they can also affect other body parts. Disease attacks, called flare-ups, occur periodically, or can be continuous in some people. "This is the most common confusion -- between osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis. It gets even more confusing, because people with RA often also have osteoarthritis," adds Kremer.
Posted on: Sat, 13 Jul 2013 12:11:01 +0000
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