At Comprehensive Arthritis Care in Hendersonville, Tennessee, Board-Certified Rheumatologist Mohammad F. Ali, MD, and his team of experts specialize in diagnosing and treating rheumatoid arthritis, among other conditions, including autoimmune connective tissue diseases and pain disorders of the muscles and bones. To find out more about the treatments available for rheumatoid arthritis, call the office to schedule your consultation or use the online booking feature today, which is fast and easy.
Arth- means joint, and –itis means inflammation. Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) involves inflammation in the lining of joints which causes warmth, low mobility, swelling, and pain in the joints. RA is a disease of the immune system, which is the system that usually protects your body against foreign invaders such as bacteria, fungi, or viruses.
Your immune system protects your body in many ways. One of the most basic is inflammation, which is the increase of blood and immune cells to a threatened part of the body. Inflammation is your body's natural response when the body experiences tissue damage from injury or infection.
In rheumatoid arthritis, the immune system attacks the lining of your joints.
Rheumatoid arthritis develops acutely within weeks or may take months to develop, affecting small joints of the body.
The onset of the disease could be between the ages of 25 and 50 years. Females are affected three times more when compared to males. It often occurs later in life for men than women.
However, anyone can get rheumatoid arthritis, including children. When this occurs in children, it’s known as Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis (JRA).
The symptoms and course of rheumatoid arthritis vary from patient to patient, and the symptoms change daily. Symptoms and signs of RA include:
Rheumatoid arthritis could be mild in some people with periods of activity called flairs, and in some people, it is continuously active and worsens over time.
RA can cause the patient to feel sick, especially during flairs. Some might develop rheumatoid nodules, lumps of tissue that form under the skin. Often these occur over bony areas exposed to pressure.
At Comprehensive Arthritis Care, Board-Certified Rheumatologist, Dr. Ali, provides the diagnosis and treatment for all individuals 16 years and older with rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, gout, and other autoimmune connective tissue diseases, as well as pain disorders of muscles and bones.
To learn more about the treatments available for rheumatoid arthritis, call the office to schedule your consultation. Or request an appointment using the online booking system today.