Causes of rheumatoid arthritis, their detection and treatment

Rheumatoid arthritis

This name in medicine indicates the inflammatory process in the connective tissue of the joints, which is chronic. The disease is autoimmune, that is caused mainly by malfunctions in the immune system. The disease is quite common: according to statistics, at the moment there are about 58 million people with this diagnosis.
Factors causing disease

To date, doctors find it difficult to identify specific causes of rheumatoid arthritis. However, a number of factors have been identified, with a high probability of leading to the development of the disease.

Genetics

Often the disease is inherited. Most people suffering from rheumatoid polyarthritis are prone to impairment of immunity. Unfortunately, if you have people with this disease in your family, it is likely that over time it will manifest itself in you.
Infection

The causes of rheumatoid arthritis, according to some doctors, also include infectious agents in their number. Physicians refer to them such viruses as rubella, herpes, mycoplasma, most retroviruses and the Epstein-Barr virus. The latter is given special attention in medicine: 80 percent of patients have elevated antibody titres to it.
Microbacteria

This factor was highlighted by specialists as a possible cause of rheumatoid arthritis relatively recently. The main property of microbacteria is that they express stress proteins that provoke the development of arthritis (this is proved in experiments conducted on animals).

Risk groups

Who is most likely to develop this disease? First of all, in women: they suffer them an order of magnitude more often than men. Many people from 45 years are predisposed to the disease, especially if they have weak immunity and congenital defects of the joints. In addition, as mentioned above, rheumatoid arthritis is often inherited.

Pathogenesis of rheumatoid arthritis

The basis of the disease is autoimmune processes, caused by a deficiency of T-suppressor function of lymphocytes. A certain factor acting on the body causes its response, as a result of which the inflammatory process begins in the synovial membrane of the joint. The course of it largely depends on the human genes. In medicine, many cases have been recorded, when a rheumatoid factor was detected in the patient against a backdrop of diseases known to all fans of "Dr. House" lupus and autoimmune hepatitis, various tumors and hemoblastoses. In individuals suffering from rheumatoid polyarthritis, other antibodies are often found - for example, to the nuclei of cells, to blood elements, etc. In the pathogenesis of the disease, endothelial cells, regulating blood clotting, vascular tone and participating in all phases of inflammation play an important role.

In the course of the inflammatory process, granulation tissue is formed, which rapidly grows and penetrates from the connective tissue into the cartilage, which provokes its destruction. Over time, the cartilage disappears and is completely replaced by a granulation tissue. As a consequence - deformation of the joints.

Diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis

When making a diagnosis, the doctor pays attention to the following criteria: a feeling of "stiffness" after sleep, swelling of the joints, the presence of subcutaneous nodules near the elbows and knees. In order for the disease to be confirmed, a general blood test, a biochemical and immunological study is performed.

Let us emphasize at last that, whatever the causes of rheumatoid arthritis, the disease must be treated. The sooner you contact a specialist, the higher the probability of a full recovery.