What is Rheumatism?
Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic inflammatory disorder that can affect more than just your joints. In some people, the condition can damage a wide variety of body systems, including the skin, eyes, lungs, heart and blood vessels.
An autoimmune disorder, rheumatoid arthritis occurs when your immune system mistakenly attacks your own body’s tissues.
Unlike the wear-and-tear damage of osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis affects the lining of your joints, causing a painful swelling that can eventually result in bone erosion and joint deformity.
The inflammation associated with rheumatoid arthritis is what can damage other parts of the body as well. While new types of medications have improved treatment options dramatically, severe rheumatoid arthritis can still cause physical disabilities.
Symptoms
Signs and symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis may include:
- Tender, warm, swollen joints
- Joint stiffness that is usually worse in the mornings and after inactivity
- Fatigue, fever and loss of appetite
- Skin
- Eyes
- Lungs
- Heart
- Kidneys
- Salivary glands
- Nerve tissue
- Bone marrow
- Blood vessels
Causes
Rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune disease. Normally, your immune system helps protect your body from infection and disease. In rheumatoid arthritis, your immune system attacks healthy tissue in your joints. It can also cause medical problems with your heart, lungs, nerves, eyes and skin.
Risk Factors
Factors that may increase your risk of rheumatoid arthritis include:
- Your sex
- Age
- Family history
- Smoking
- Excess weight
Can Rheumatoid Arthritis Affect the Eyes?
Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic inflammatory disease that primarily affects the joints. However, rheumatoid arthritis occasionally affects other parts of the body — including the eyes.
Can Rheumatoid Arthritis Affect Your Lungs?
Although rheumatoid arthritis primarily affects joints, it sometimes also causes lung disease. Occasionally, lung problems surface before the joint inflammation and pain of rheumatoid arthritis.
- Scarring within the lungs
- Lung nodules
- Pleural disease
- Small airway obstruction
Different Between Rheumatism and Arthiritis?
Arthritis, derived from Greek for “disease of the joints,” is the chronic or acute inflammation of joints, which is often accompanied by structural damage and pain. In contrast, rheumatism is an informal term used to describe joint diseases or syndromes. Medical literature does not generally use the term rheumatism.
