A somewhat less common form of arthritis is rheumatoid arthritis. It’s an autoimmune disease which occurs when the body’s own defense mechanisms attack the synovium, the tissue surrounding the joints. In this video we’re going to look at the symptoms of Rheumatoid Arthritis and how they differ from other forms of arthritis.

Rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune kind of arthritis in which the immune system somehow reacts against your own joints and gradually or speedily destroys those joints.

You’re more likely to have Rheumatoid Arthritis if you’re female aged 30-50 and you have symmetrical problems with your joints with widespread pain and swelling and a great deal of tiredness and feeling unwell. Rheumatoid Arthritis tends to come on quite suddenly although it can come on more slowly in some people.

Rheumatoid Arthritis is much more likely to be symmetrical and affect the smaller joints and the medium sized joints. It’s more likely to affect the hands the wrists, the knees.

If you think that you’ve got Rheumatoid Arthritis, you should go to your doctor as soon as possible to get the diagnosis. That’s because there are now drugs that can halt the progression of the disease that can stabilize the condition and that can prevent joint damage.