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RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS
What Is Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA)?
RA is a chronic condition that affects the entire body. However, it mainly presents as an arthritic condition, in which there is inflammation in the same joints on both sides of the body (example: both right and left wrists may be affected). This leads to scar tissue replacing the normal tissue, narrowing the space within the joint, limiting movement and causing pain.
In RA the immune system, for unknown reasons, attacks its own joints and surrounding tissue. Experts do not completely understand why this so called "autoimmune" reaction occurs, but they think that some people have a genetic predisposition to RA and that its onset may be triggered by an infection, poor diet or emotional stress.
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