Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic disorder of joints which can affect the joints of wrists, knees, feet, hands, elbows, ankles, hips, shoulders and jaw. Being a systematic disease, it can involve other organs and systems in the body including skin, heart, lungs, digestive tract, kidneys, blood vessels, blood, eyes and nervous system. The most common symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis are inflammation, warmth, tenderness, redness, swelling, stiffness and pain in joints. Since it is an autoimmune disease, misleading activity of body’s immune system is among the main causes of rheumatoid arthritis. Immune cells mistakenly attack the healthy tissues of joints which causes the inflammation of joints.
Some of the possible causes of rheumatoid arthritis are hormones, genetic factors, environmental factors and bacterial or viral infections. Certain genes which play a crucial role in the immune system are likely to develop the rheumatoid arthritis. However, it is not true with all people having the certain genes.
As hormonal factors play an important role in development of rheumatoid arthritis, this disease is more common in women than in men. Younger women having oral contraceptives are at higher risk of developing this disease because these contraceptives can cause hormonal changes. Breast-feeding mothers are more susceptible to this disease due to changes in prolactin level. In addition to this, postmenopausal women are also more prone to development of this disease due to changes in estrogen levels.
It is believed that rheumatoid arthritis can be caused by some bacterial or viral infections. As this disease is a part of immune system, immunization may act as a triggering factor for rheumatoid arthritis in some cases.
Some dietary factors are among the important causes of rheumatoid arthritis. Lower intake of vegetables and fruits containing vitamin C and higher intake of caffeine and protein may increase the risk of rheumatoid arthritis. Hence, your diet should be rich fresh vegetables, fruits, legumes which contain omega 3 fatty acids that decrease the joint inflammation. Add nutritional supplements like high quality multi-vitamin minerals.
Smokers are at higher risk of developing this disease. Besides this, some environmental factors such as exposure to bacterial infections or dietary changes are likely to trigger the development of this disease. Deficiency of vitamin D can also lead to rheumatoid arthritis.
After knowing the causes of rheumatoid arthritis and accurate diagnosis, the doctor can decide the suitable treatment plan to relive the symptoms of arthritis. Various treatment options for rheumatoid arthritis include medications, physical therapy, hydrotherapy, relaxation therapy, heat and cold treatment, occupational therapy and prosorba column.
