Rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune disease that attacks joints and causes damage to bone, cartilage, tendons, and ligaments. In autoimmune diseases, a person's immune system mistakes healthy tissue for an outside invader and attacks it. In the case of RA, the immune system attacks cells found in your joints and other organs. This attack causes fluid to build up in the affected joints and the joints become swollen, hot, and painful. The inflammation produces enzymes, antibodies, and proteins that damage the cartilage in the joint. Over time, the cartilage is destroyed and the bones of the joint become unstable and extremely painful.

RA affects about 2.1 million people in the United States. The number of women with RA outnumbers men with RA by about 3-to-1. RA is a chronic disease that often presents a pattern of periods when the disease is active (flares) interspersed with periods of relative disease inactivity (remissions). It usually manifests between the ages of 20 and 50. Unlike OA, rheumatoid arthritis may develop very suddenly. It usually affects the finger joints closest to the hand, wrists, elbows, and shoulders, but can affect any number of other joints. RA typically affects joints on both sides of the body and leaves the sufferer with a general feeling of sickness and fatigue. The morning stiffness that comes with RA generally lasts for hours.

Although there is no cure for RA, there are many successful treatments available to manage the disease. Early treatment is very important in order to stop the progression of bone and joint damage, which can be quite severe with RA. As with other forms of arthritis, the successful management of RA involves lifestyle changes and proper medication. The medications used to treat RA fall into two categories. It is common to use two or more drugs in the treatment of a person's RA. The first category of medication used in the treatment of RA address the symptoms of the disease. These include anti-inflammatory drugs, analgesics to reduce pain, and corticosteroids. The second set of medications used on RA is the disease-modifying drugs (DMARDS). As the name suggests, DMARDS can modify the progression of RA and can help to prevent deformity and disability. Since the DMARDS can affect the immune system, it is very important for patients to be carefully monitored by their physician during the course of treatment.