Are you familiar with rheumatoid arthritis? Well this form of arthritis causes the lining of our joints to become inflamed. When this form of arthritis progresses, it damages our tendons, ligaments, cartilage and bone in our joints. It can also damage other areas of our bodies such as our lungs and blood vessels. Which can lead to many rheumatoid arthritis symptoms. This form of arthritis is actually 2 to 3 times more common in women then it is in men and it can roughly begin between the ages of 40 to 60, however that is not always the case. This disease has been known to run in families and at this point we are unsure to what exactly causes it, what we do know however is that our bodies own natural defense system attacks the joints.

I mentioned earlier about rheumatoid arthritis symptoms, well truth is there are many different symptoms that you may acquire. These symptoms can become: Joint swelling, joint pain, joints that become tender to the touch, your hands may also become red and puffy, you may notice firm bumps of tissue that appear under the skin of your arms. These are actually called rheumatoid nodules. Other symptoms may also be fatigue, morning stiffness that can last even up to a half an hour as well as weight loss and fever.

In the early stages of rheumatoid arthritis it will begin to affect your smaller joints. By smaller I mean your wrists, hands, ankles and feet. Now I mentioned before that this form of arthritis also begins to progress. As this disease begins to progress it will then begin to affect other joints such as your shoulders, knees, elbows, hips, jaw and even your neck. Rheumatoid arthritis symptoms can vary in their severity and also come and go. At this point doctor's are unsure of the actual reason for acquiring this disease but it is believed that it does run in families.

If you suffer from any form of rheumatoid arthritis symptoms you will want to consult your doctor. He or she can then discuss with you the best options that are available. There are different types of treatments that you can use, however there is no known cure for this disease. There are however different types of medication's that can help you with the pain and discomfort from rheumatoid arthritis or even help with the swelling of your joints.