Most Common Rheumatoid Arthritis Causes

Getting a diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis – an autoimmune disease that results in inflamed joints and muscles at different points of the body – can be disturbing.

For one, it affects younger people (typically ages 30 – 45), who may be wondering why they’re suffering from anything with “arthritis” in the name. Secondly, it tends to affect women more than men, though researchers aren’t sure why. Third, sufferers often wonder what causes it, and what type of people are most likely to get it.

Robert Lahita, M.D., author of Women and Autoimmune Disease, spoke with Lifescript.com, a women’s health and wellness web site, about all of these issues.

Researchers can’t quite pinpoint the actual cause of rheumatoid arthritis, he said, although some general truths have been revealed. Researchers know that:

• RA can affect younger ages. While osteoarthritis is a deteriorating of the joints that can come on over a person’s lifetime (affecting older people), rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune disease that can hit even in the younger years.
• Race is not an issue. RA affects people of all races equally, unlike other autoimmune diseases.
• Gender is an issue. About four women are affected by rheumatoid arthritis for every one man.
• RA is hereditary to a degree. A person can have the immune-response genes, however, and still not get rheumatoid arthritis. Genes are only one factor that a person has to have, along with gender (see above) and an additional, unknown factor.
• What’s the additional unknown factor? Researchers aren’t sure what the additional trigger is, though they’ve looked at various viruses, conditions, diseases and bacteria to try to pinpoint the cause.

More and more research is being done on rheumatoid arthritis. Visit Lifescript.com to learn more about the condition, read the rest of the Dr. Lahita interview, and find out more about rheumatoid arthritis causes.

Also, be sure to swing by Lifescript’s new online Rheumatoid Arthritis Health Center for additional rheumatoid arthritis information.

The information contained in this article is provided for informational purposes only and is not, nor is it ever intended to be, a substitute for professional medical advice or professional recommendations, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician(s) or other qualified healthcare provider(s).