Rheumatoid arthritis is the condition in which the chronic inflammation occurs in the joint and in addition to this the immune system of the body attacks the joint itself.  However, the causes of rheumatoid arthritis are not known even today.

One of the most accepted causes of rheumatoid arthritis is the mistaken identity theory. According to this theory some microorganism, which resembles the molecules of the synovium infect the patient.  The immune system prepares antibodies against it.

However, as these organisms are similar to the synovium molecules they are not able to distinguish between them and therefore they attack the synovium as well. However, this theory has not been supported by proofs. Even the immune system, during rheumatoid arthritis does make a mistake due to some or the other reasons.

Even if the causes of rheumatoid arthritis are not known some of, the risk factors, which may stimulate it, have been identified. They are given below.

Women are more prone to rheumatoid arthritis. There is a very evident difference in the occurrence of rheumatoid arthritis in men and women. About 70% of the total cases of rheumatoid arthritis in United States were in women.

In addition, age seems to play some role in the causes of rheumatoid arthritis. Rheumatoid arthritis can occur in any age. However, most of the cases have been observed to be between 30 and 50 years.

Genetics also is one of the major causes of rheumatoid arthritis. The people whose family history includes cases of rheumatoid arthritis are at a greater risk than the others are. Some for example HLA-DR4 is among the genes, which are linked with rheumatoid arthritis. This gene is present in many people.

However, most of them do not develop rheumatoid arthritis and while very, few of them develop it. Thus, not all the people having this gene have been found to develop rheumatoid arthritis. It occurs in greater numbers in the Caucasian RA patients.

Moreover, the people who have faced the some other autoimmune disease are at a risk of development of rheumatoid arthritis as well.

Apart from this, some of the non-specific factors also can be the causes of rheumatoid arthritis in some cases. Some of them are as follows. Smoking, drinking, infections, and life styles factors are among some of these. The life style factors as diet, stress, also are can increase the risks of rheumatoid arthritis.