Rheumatoid arthritis is an inflammatory condition which generally affects the joints but can also cause inflammation in organs too. It’s an autoimmune disorder which means that the body misinterprets a threat where there isn’t one and attacks it. When the body attacks something it causes swelling and this is what causes the inflammation in the joints. Unfortunately this inflammation isn’t harmless and the longer it’s left untreated the more mobility it can sap from an arthritic patient and the more pain it will cause them. Luckily now there are hundreds of treatment options to match the hundreds of different forms of arthritis, but in times past the condition could have led to crippling pain and deformity.
As a general rule, ladies tend to have it a little better than men when it comes to the big diseases. They’re at much less risk of heart disease for a decade longer than men are due to oestrogen for example. Sadly when it comes to rheumatoid arthritis they’re actually twice as likely to contract the condition as their male counterparts are. What this means for women everywhere is that they’re going to need to work extra hard to remove any other mitigating factors and reduce the risk.
Can you guess what the largest risk factor is? That’s right, obesity. Obese people are far more likely to contract rheumatoid arthritis than those who’re at a less extreme weight. This has been shown in multiple studies and is widely accepted. What’s sometimes forgotten is that not only does obesity help to bring about rheumatoid arthritis in the first place; it also makes it far worse when you actually get the condition.
Being obese means your body has much more weight to support than is healthy. More weight means more strain on your joints when you move around which degrades cartilage. Cartilage is the cushioning between joints and without it bones rub together, causing pain and inflammation of their very own.
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