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Rheumatoid arthritis - Symptoms and causes - Mayo Clinic
Rheumatoid arthritis is an ongoing, called chronic, condition that causes pain, swelling and irritation, called inflammation, in the joints. But it also can damage other parts of the body. These may include the skin, eyes, lungs, heart and blood vessels. Rheumatoid arthritis happens when the immune system attacks its own body's tissues by mistake. This is called an autoimmune condition.

Rheumatoid arthritis - Wikipedia
Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic autoimmune disorder that can affect multiple organ systems. [15][16] It mainly affects fluid filled connections between joints (synovial joints), causing inflammation, pain, and stiffness in the joints. [17] RA also affects other organs in 20–40% of people. [18] RA typically develops slowly and affects both sides of the body. [19][20] Systemic symptoms ...

Rheumatoid Arthritis: Causes, Symptoms, Treatments and More
Rheumatoid arthritis is an inflammatory type of arthritis that can cause joint pain, swelling and damage. Learn what causes RA and how to treat it.

Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA): Symptoms, Stages & Treatment
Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a type of arthritis where your immune system attacks the tissue lining your joints. Learn more about this condition and its treatment options.

Rheumatoid Arthritis: Signs, Causes, Treatments, and Care - WebMD
Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is an autoimmune arthritis where your body’s immune system attacks its own tissue, including joints and internal organs, causing pain and swelling.

Rheumatoid Arthritis | Arthritis | CDC
Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) causes pain, swelling, and stiffness in the joints. There’s no cure for RA, but you can manage and treat it with medicines and lifestyle changes. It’s best to diagnose and treat RA early to avoid joint damage and worsening symptoms and complications. Doctors diagnose RA through a physical exam, X-rays, lab tests, and a review of a patient’s health history.

Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) - Bone, Joint, and Muscle Disorders - Merck ...
Rheumatoid arthritis is an inflammatory arthritis in which joints, usually including those of the hands and feet, are inflamed, resulting in swelling, pain, and often destruction of joints.

Rheumatic Diseases: Types, Causes, and Diagnosis - WebMD
WebMD provides information on the most common rheumatic diseases and their treatments, including rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis, lupus, and Sjogren's syndrome.

Rheumatoid Arthritis - Harvard Health
Because rheumatoid arthritis is a systemic disease (meaning it can affect the entire body), you also may have inflammation in other areas, including the heart, lungs, or eyes. It also can cause painless lumps the size of a pea or acorn, called rheumatoid nodules. These develop under the skin, especially around the elbow or beneath the toes.

Rheumatoid Arthritis Resource Center - Everyday Health
Find expert advice on managing rheumatoid arthritis, with tips on treatment options, lifestyle changes, and strategies for reducing pain and inflammation.

* Rheumatology101 LATEST NEWS *

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Discordance between patient and physician global assessments amongst South Africans with rheumatoid arthritis  Frontiers
Shortage of critical specialty doctor impacts patients nationwide  NBC News
Dear Doctor: Allergic to RA medications? Biologicals might be an option  OregonLive.com
2026 Top Doctor Mark Freijat, M.D. Rheumatology  phoenixmag.com
12 Rheumatoid Arthritis Symptoms Doctors Say You Shouldn’t Ignore  Prevention
What to Know About Methotrexate for Rheumatoid Arthritis  Everyday Health
Switching Rheumatologists? Here’s How to Navigate  HealthCentral
Artificial Intelligence in Rheumatoid Arthritis Reshapes Care  EMJ
Dear Doctor: Rheumatoid Arthritis meds clashing with vaccine I really need; what should I do?  Syracuse.com
Dear Doctor: I’ve been following an arthritis treatment for years. What happened to it?  NJ.com
This tiny neck implant is helping some arthritis patients. Here’s how it works  Austin American-Statesman
Squeezing more from arthritis drugs to help patients live better | Horizon Magazine  research-and-innovation.ec.europa.eu
The Arthritis Treatments Doctors Turn to Most — and How They Help  Hartford Hospital
Medical Mysteries: After a Grand Canyon adventure, his body began to fail  The Washington Post
AndHealth Rheumatology Welcomes Dr. Veronica Heitsch to Practice in Ohio  Business Wire

Common Rheumatological Symptoms

Joint Pain (Arthralgia) — Persistent discomfort or soreness in one or more joints caused by inflammation, wear and tear, or underlying autoimmune responses.
Morning Stiffness — Reduced joint mobility and tightness upon waking, often lasting over 30 to 60 minutes in inflammatory conditions like rheumatoid arthritis.
Joint Swelling and Edema — Visible enlargement of affected joints resulting from fluid accumulation in the synovial membrane and inflamed surrounding tissue.
Localized Warmth and Redness — Elevated temperature and erythema skin discoloration surrounding inflamed joints due to increased blood flow from localized inflammation.
Systemic Fatigue — Overwhelming exhaustion and lack of energy caused by ongoing chronic inflammatory cytokine activity throughout the body.
Raynaud's Phenomenon — Temporary color changes in fingers or toes turning white, blue, and red in response to cold or stress due to vascular spasms.
Malar or Butterfly Rash — Red or purplish facial rash spanning across the bridge of the nose and cheeks, classically associated with systemic lupus erythematosus.

Milestones in Rheumatology History

c. 400 BC: Hippocratic Corpus Coining — Hippocrates uses the term "rheuma" to describe body humors flowing into joints, establishing the early classical concept of joint inflammation.
1592: Formal Definition of Rheumatism — French physician Guillaume de Baillou introduces the modern term "rheumatism" to distinguish systemic acute arthritis from localized gout.
1800: Clinical Description of Rheumatoid Arthritis — Augustin Jacob Landré-Beauvais publishes the first detailed clinical description separating rheumatoid arthritis from gout, calling it "asthenic gout."
1859: Naming of Rheumatoid Arthritis — Sir Alfred Baring Garrod formally coins the term "rheumatoid arthritis" to clearly differentiate the inflammatory autoimmune condition from osteoarthritis and gout.
1940: Discovery of the Rheumatoid Factor — Erik Waaler discovers autoantibodies in the blood of patients with rheumatoid arthritis, laying the groundwork for serological autoimmune diagnostics.
1948: Introduction of Corticosteroid Therapy — Philip Hench and Edward Kendall demonstrate the dramatic anti-inflammatory effects of Compound E (cortisone) in treating rheumatoid arthritis, earning the Nobel Prize.
1998: Emergence of Biologic DMARDs — The FDA approves the first TNF-alpha inhibitors, ushering in the modern era of targeted biologic therapies for autoimmune rheumatic diseases.

Current Trends in Rheumatology Research

Chimeric Antigen Receptor (CAR) T-Cell Reset Therapy — Investigating engineered cellular therapies to achieve drug-free, durable clinical remissions by completely depleting pathogenic autoantibodies in severe refractory lupus and systemic sclerosis.
Selective TYK2 and Oral JAK Pathway Inhibition — Developing highly targeted, small-molecule oral inhibitors like deucravacitinib that disrupt specific cytokine signaling pathways while minimizing broader off-target side effects.
Targeted Pathogenic T-Cell and B-Cell Depletion — Evaluating novel biologics, such as rosnilimab and ianalumab, designed to selectively deplete overactive immune cell subpopulations involved in rheumatoid arthritis and Sjögren's disease.
Biomarker-Driven Precision Medicine — Utilizing pharmacogenomics and molecular biomarkers to predict individualized therapeutic responses and match systemic autoimmune conditions to specific biological mechanisms.
Subclinical Interception and Disease Prevention — Identifying seropositive individuals early using high-risk autoantibody profiles to initiate preventive targeted therapies before irreversible joint damage occurs.
Artificial Intelligence and Predictive Disease Modeling — Deploying machine learning algorithms across electronic health records and imaging modalities to forecast inflammatory flares and refine diagnostic accuracy.