Rheumatoid Arthritis Rheumatoid Arthritis

Rheumatoid Arthritis

It is a chronic autoimmune inflammatory disease of unknown etiology, which can involve many joints at the same time, and is characterized by symmetrical erosive synovitis and sometimes multisystem organ involvement.
In studies for the incidence of rheumatoid arthritis, it was found that the annual incidence was 0.15-0.26 per thousand in men and 0.24-0.60 per thousand in women. Rheumatoid arthritis mostly begins in the fourth and fifth decades of life (40-50 years old) and is 2-4 times more common in women than men, except in very old groups.
The diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis should be established according to the criteria based on careful history taking, physical examination findings and laboratory tests, and the differential diagnosis. Typical findings about joints are pain, stiffness, and swelling. Redness and increased temperature are not expected findings and rarely occur. It is critical that the peripheral small joints are affected and the morning stiffness lasts longer than 30 minutes. In case of history of arthritis of less than six weeks, causes such as acute viral arthritis other than rheumatoid arthritis should be considered. Synovitis is evaluated in physical examination. Swollen and tender joints and limitations of joint movements are detected. Tenosynovitis, bursitis, and carpal tunnel syndrome may be detected. Weakness, weight loss, low-grade fever and extra-articular findings may accompany.

Ref: Prevention and Control of Musculoskeletal System Diseases Program of Turkey (2015-2020).