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Rheumatoid Arthritis »

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) facts

• Rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune disease that can cause chronic inflammation of the joints and other areas of the body.
• Rheumatoid arthritis can affect people of all ages.
• The cause of rheumatoid arthritis is not known.
• Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic disease, characterized by periods of disease flares and remissions.
• In rheumatoid arthritis, multiple joints are usually, but not always, affected in a symmetrical pattern.
• Chronic inflammation of rheumatoid arthritis can cause permanent joint destruction and deformity.
• Damage to joints can occur early and does not correlate with the severity of symptoms.
• The "rheumatoid factor" is an antibody that can be found in the blood of 80% of people with rheumatoid arthritis.
• There is no known cure for rheumatoid arthritis.
• The treatment of rheumato...

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