Facts to Know

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1. Women are two to three times more likely than men to develop rheumatoid arthritis (RA), which affects approximately 2.1 million Americans.

2. RA is considered an autoimmune disease. Such diseases are characterized by the immune system attacking the body's healthy tissues. In RA, white blood cells travel to the synovium (the membranes that surround joints) and cause inflammation, or synovitis. The ensuing warmth, redness, swelling and pain are typical symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis, which usually affects the wrists, fingers, knees, feet, and ankles. Although RA affects other parts of the body, joint inflammation is the hallmark of this disease.

3. Although no one knows the precise causes of rheumatoid arthritis, it seems to develop as a result of an interaction of several factors, including genetics, environmental factors and hormones. A virus or bacterium could serve as the environmental trigger in people genetically susceptible to the disease.

4. Many researchers think a viral or bacterial infection may help trigger the development of RA. However, this remains unproven.

5. Rheumatoid arthritis appears to cause considerable joint damage in the first two years. An early diagnosis can be crucial in preventing the worst effects of the disease, especially since there are more effective treatment options today.

6. Common RA symptoms can include fatigue, occasional fever, morning stiffness, difficulty moving a joint or several joints, pain and inflammation in or around a joint and a general sense of malaise.

7. There is no single test you can take to find out if you have RA, although tests are used as part of the diagnosis. Your health care professional may recommend a test for rheumatoid factor, an antibody eventually present in the blood of most rheumatoid arthritis patients. The test is inconclusive, however, since not all people with rheumatoid arthritis test positive for rheumatoid factor. You could test positive and never develop the disease. Anti-cyclic citrullinated peptide (CCP) is a more specific test but is still not completely reliable. Other common tests include one that indicates the presence of inflammation in the body (the erythrocyte sedimentation rate or C-reactive protein), a white-blood-cell count and a blood test for anemia.

8. Arthritis literally means joint inflammation, but the term often is used to refer to more than 100 rheumatic diseases that can affect children and adults. Osteoarthritis is the most common form.