Other areas of the body affected by the disease are the spine, shoulder, ankle and hip. This type of arthritis occurs two to three times more often in women.

Although the central cause of the disease is unknown, occurs when the body of the protection of machinery loses its ability to tell relatives among the tissues in the joints and tissues unknown. This leads to the breaking of bones in joints causing symptoms typical of rheumatoid arthritis are pain, swelling and stiffness of small joints of the hands and feet. The number of affected joints depends on the severity of the disease and individual differences. Due to the stiffness in the joints, patients find it very hard to do, while the buttons to get dressed and even to hold spoons while eating.

What differentiates the symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis from all the other symptoms of arthritis is the fact that if a set aside of the body is involved, the same set on the other side of the body is usually affected.

If treatment is not started within the first six months of onset of symptoms of the disease, irreversible joint damage occurs and the type of damage appears to be greatest during the first year.

Rheumatoid arthritis used to invoke terrible images of patients in wheelchairs, established by the disease and living the rest of your life limited by the pain of the disease. This notion has been proven to be true since some patients now lead normal lives by improving the method of management of symptoms, physical therapy and, of course, early identification.