Rheumatoid arthritis occurs when the white blood cells of the body begin to attack the membranes surrounding the joints, called the synovium. This causes the synovium to become inflamed, and can eventually cause damage to the bone, cartilage and tendons around it. The result is pain and swelling in the joint area, and the eventual deterioration of the joint itself. While medical professionals understand this part of the process in rheumatoid arthritis, the actual causes of rheumatoid arthritis are still unknown, and are therefore the subject of many studies that are going on around the world today. There are many theories involving the causes of rheumatoid arthritis, and these theories have helped doctors to understand some of the risk factors that are involved. However, like other autoimmune disorders, doctors are still seeking answers to questions about why some people are diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis and others are not.

Possible Causes of Rheumatoid Arthritis

There are many possible causes of rheumatoid arthritis that are being studied today. For example, it is thought that this disease may be a result of a virus or bacterium that causes an infection in the body could be the culprit in the cause of rheumatoid arthritis as well. However, no specific agent has been identified, and there is still a question as to why some exposed to certain viruses may eventually be diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis and others are not. There are other risk factors that are known to increase your odds of being diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis at some point in your life. These include a genetic predisposition to the illness, although genetics do not seem to be a direct cause of rheumatoid arthritis. This disease seems to strike most often in women as they age, but the risk falls considerably after the age of eighty. Exposure to an infection can increase your risk, but only if you are prone to the disease in the first place. Finally, excessive smoking over a number of years can also increase your risk of rheumatoid arthritis, along with a host of other illnesses.

If you have any of these risk factors, you can discuss with your doctor the causes of rheumatoid arthritis and the likelihood that you will be diagnosed with the illness. If you are considered to be in the high risk category, such as having an immediate relative that has been diagnosed already, you can be alert to the symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis, so that you know when to call your doctor. If you are noticing painful swelling in a number of your joints on both sides of your body, your doctor can run some tests to see if you indeed have rheumatoid arthritis. Early diagnosis can mean a more effective treatment plan in the long run.

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RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS STUDY

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Symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis are pain, swelling, redness and stiffness. Other symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis may include fatigue, lack of appetite, low grade fever and muscle aches. Dr. Dahlman’s all natural protocol combines food allergy testing and all natural supplements to help you conquer rheumatoid arthritis symptoms

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Simple principles that will help virtually any autoimmune disease like rheumatoid arthritis and multiple sclerosis.

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The skeleton is a jointed framework that supports the body and enables it to perform a fantastic range of movements, these are in turn controlled by muscles, tendons, and ligaments attached to the bones. A joint is the point where bones meet and move against each other. The human body comprises more than 200 joints.

Arthritis may develop in any one, or more, of these joints. This common condition id defined as pain, stiffness, or swelling in or around a joint that persists for more than two weeks. Given that there are over 100 types of arthritis, it is easy to see why arthritis plagues so many people.

WHAT IS ARTHRITIS?

The word arthritis means “inflamed joint” in greek. However, the term does not exclusively refer to the inflammation of a joint. Arthritis may also indicate a joint that is injured, strained, infected, damaged, or worn down.

When any joint in your body is affected by arthritis, you experience considerable discomfort and pain as a result of the nerves in the joint sending pain messages to the brain. Movement becomes difficult as the smooth functioning of the joint starts to breake down.

In osteoarthritis, the cartilage (the fibrous tissue covering the ends of the bones) become thin and flaky and begins to split. The bone underneath thickens and starts to project at the edges of the joint, reducing the degree of movement. Fluid in the joint increases, leading to swelling, stiffness, and pain. The capsule encasing the joint is stretched. In severe osteoarthritis the cartilage may wear away completely, exposing the bone. Chalky deposits of crystals may form in the bone and can break off and float around in the fluid. The joint may become permanently damaged.

In rheumatoid arthritis, inflammation start in the membrane surrounding the joint, which then thickens and begins to occupy the space within the joint. The inflammation spreads to the rest of the joint capsule, and the ligaments and tedons that surround and support the joint become stretched, so the joint itself may become unstable. If the inflammation remains unchecked, the cartilage  in the joint will shrink and the exposed ends of the bone will erode. This can result in painful, swollen joints.

The joints of the body vary widely in their structure. Some, like the hip and shoulder, allow movement in all directions. Others, such as the elbow, move only backward and forward. In the spine  the vertebrae have even less independent movement, and they are jointed without a capsule or any lubricating fluid. This presents the disk of cushioning cartilage between them with an even more crucial role to play: this is why back pain is the most widespread and intractable form of joint pain that troubles human beings.

General Causes Of Arthritis

Degenerative:
Joints, just like the moving parts of any peice of equipment, wear out and performs less reliably with heavy use and with the passage of time. The joints of the human body simply wear out. Degenerative types of arthritis include osteoarthritis, the most common form. You may get arthritis as you become older because your cartilage is the type that becomes thin and flaky with age, or because you have exposed your joints to heavy use, perhaps on the sports field. Or, you may have imposed undue strain on them by loading them with to much body weight. Another possibility is that one of your hip joints has been subjected to excessive wear because one of your legs is longer than the other, which is not uncommon.

Autoimmune Disorders:
In inflammatory types of arthritis, of which the most common is rheumatoid arthritis, the cause of the inflammation is often unknown. It is possible that the inflammation is sparked off by a virus. This may trigger the bodies own defense mechanisms to turn on themselves and perpetuate the inflammation even in the absence of any harmful agent. Thus, rheumatoid arthritis is considered an autoimmune disorder.

Metabolic:
When a joint becomes inflamed because the body fails to flush away harmful crystals of uric acid that forms inside the joint, the result is gout, a painful type of metabolic arthritis.

Other Types of Arthritis:
Some types of arthritis can also be caused by bacterial or viral infection.

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