Rheumatoid arthritis
Last updated 22 Dec 2025
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Rheumatoid arthritis is a disease that causes chronic inflammation that primarily affects the joints. The most common signs and symptoms are pain, swelling, and stiffness of the joints. This condition frequently affects the hands and feet, although the shoulders, hips, spine, and knees may become involved in the later stages of the disease. Joints are typically affected in a symmetrical pattern; for example, if joints in the hand are affected, both hands tend to be involved. People with rheumatoid arthritis may have trouble with tasks such as opening jars, turning doorknobs, or fastening buttons. Joint pain and stiffness tend to be worse after waking up in the morning or after a long rest.
Description
Rheumatoid arthritis is a disease that causes chronic inflammation that primarily affects the joints. The most common signs and symptoms are pain, swelling, and stiffness of the joints. This condition frequently affects the hands and feet, although the shoulders, hips, spine, and knees may become involved in the later stages of the disease. Joints are typically affected in a symmetrical pattern; for example, if joints in the hand are affected, both hands tend to be involved. People with rheumatoid arthritis may have trouble with tasks such as opening jars, turning doorknobs, or fastening buttons. Joint pain and stiffness tend to be worse after waking up in the morning or after a long rest.
Rheumatoid arthritis can cause inflammation in other tissues and organs, including the eyes, skin, heart, and blood vessels. Affected individuals may also have inflammation in the lungs, which is known as interstitial lung disease.
Additional signs and symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis can include a loss of energy, a low fever, weight loss, and a shortage of red blood cells (anaemia). Some affected individuals develop rheumatoid nodules, which are firm lumps of noncancerous tissue that can grow under the skin and elsewhere in the body.
Most people who have rheumatoid arthritis are 55 years old and older, although it can affect adults of any age. The signs and symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis usually appear in mid to late adulthood. Many affected people have recurrent episodes of symptoms (flares) followed by periods with no symptoms (remissions). In severe cases, affected individuals have continuous health problems related to the disease for many years. The abnormal inflammation can lead to severe joint damage, which limits movement and can cause significant disability.
Inheritance patterns
The source lists the following possible inheritance patterns: Pattern unknown. More than one pattern can apply in different cases.
Related genes
Other names
Arthritis, rheumatoid
RA
Related patient information and medicines
Patient information leaflet
Rheumatoid arthritis
Rheumatoid arthritis causes inflammation, pain, and swelling of joints. Persistent inflammation over time can damage affected joints. The severity can vary from mild to severe. Treatments include disease-modifying medicines to suppress inflammation, which can prevent or delay the progression of the disease, and medication to e... Arthritis means.
Patient information leaflet
Biological medicines for rheumatoid arthritis
Biological medicines are a newer type of medicine, used to ease the symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis and reduce the damaging effect of the disease on the joints. Biological medicines are a group of newer medicines that are used to ease the symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and reduce the damaging effect of the disease on the joints. However,.
Patient information leaflet
Arthritis
Arthritis means inflammation in a joint (like your knee, hip, elbow or fingers). Rheumatoid arthritis Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) causes inflammation, pain, and swelling of joints. For inflammatory arthritis (eg, rheumatoid and psoriatic), all patients will be seen by a rheumatologist (joint specialist). For a non-inflammatory arthritis such as.
Patient information leaflet
Disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs
Disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs) are medicines that are normally prescribed as soon as rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is diagnosed, in order to reduce damage to the joints. Disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs) are a group of medicines that are used to ease the symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and reduce the damaging effect.
Patient information leaflet
Hip problems
... It is not known how common FAI is but it is increasingly thought to be a common cause of hip problems, particularly in young adults. Rheumatoid arthritis Rheumatoid arthritis is the second most common kind of arthritis. It's an autoimmune disease - your body's immune system attacks itself. Often many joints are affected at the same time, but.
Patient information leaflet
Joint pain
There are links to many of the specific conditions which cause joint pain. If you are thought to have rheumatoid arthritis then you will need an urgent appointment with a specialist because starting treatment early will reduce the risk of long-term problems. Osteoarthritis (OA). Rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) This causes.
Further reading and references
- Rheumatoid arthritis; MedlinePlus, National Library of Medicine.
- Biton J, Saidenberg-Kermanac'h N, Decker P, Boissier MC, Semerano L, Sigaux J. The exposome in rheumatoid arthritis. Joint Bone Spine. 2022 Nov;89(6):105455. doi: 10.1016/j.jbspin.2022.105455. Epub 2022 Aug 12.
- Chen L, Zhao J, Meng Q. From genetic variants to therapeutic targets: insights into understanding rheumatoid arthritis. Front Immunol. 2025 Apr 1;16:1556971. doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2025.1556971. eCollection 2025.
- Finckh A, Gilbert B, Hodkinson B, Bae SC, Thomas R, Deane KD, Alpizar-Rodriguez D, Lauper K. Global epidemiology of rheumatoid arthritis. Nat Rev Rheumatol. 2022 Oct;18(10):591-602. doi: 10.1038/s41584-022-00827-y. Epub 2022 Sep 6.
- Ortiz-Fernandez L, Martin J, Alarcon-Riquelme ME. A Summary on the Genetics of Systemic Lupus Erythematosus, Rheumatoid Arthritis, Systemic Sclerosis, and Sjogren's Syndrome. Clin Rev Allergy Immunol. 2023 Jun;64(3):392-411. doi: 10.1007/s12016-022-08951-z. Epub 2022 Jun 24.
- Padyukov L. Genetics of rheumatoid arthritis. Semin Immunopathol. 2022 Jan;44(1):47-62. doi: 10.1007/s00281-022-00912-0. Epub 2022 Jan 27.
- Raychaudhuri S, Sandor C, Stahl EA, Freudenberg J, Lee HS, Jia X, Alfredsson L, Padyukov L, Klareskog L, Worthington J, Siminovitch KA, Bae SC, Plenge RM, Gregersen PK, de Bakker PI. Five amino acids in three HLA proteins explain most of the association between MHC and seropositive rheumatoid arthritis. Nat Genet. 2012 Jan 29;44(3):291-6. doi: 10.1038/ng.1076.
- Sharma SD, Leung SH, Viatte S. Genetics of rheumatoid arthritis. Best Pract Res Clin Rheumatol. 2024 Dec;38(4):101968. doi: 10.1016/j.berh.2024.101968. Epub 2024 Jul 2.
- Smith MH, Berman JR. What Is Rheumatoid Arthritis? JAMA. 2022 Mar 22;327(12):1194. doi: 10.1001/jama.2022.0786. No abstract available.
- Srivastava S, Rasool M. Genetics, epigenetics and autoimmunity constitute a Bermuda triangle for the pathogenesis of rheumatoid arthritis. Life Sci. 2024 Nov 15;357:123075. doi: 10.1016/j.lfs.2024.123075. Epub 2024 Sep 26.
- Venetsanopoulou AI, Alamanos Y, Voulgari PV, Drosos AA. Epidemiology of rheumatoid arthritis: genetic and environmental influences. Expert Rev Clin Immunol. 2022 Sep;18(9):923-931. doi: 10.1080/1744666X.2022.2106970. Epub 2022 Jul 29.
- Viatte S, Barton A. Genetics of rheumatoid arthritis susceptibility, severity, and treatment response. Semin Immunopathol. 2017 Jun;39(4):395-408. doi: 10.1007/s00281-017-0630-4. Epub 2017 May 29.
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