Rheumatoid arthritis is a condition which is fairly common in the world today. It’s something you’d expect to see in older people but what many may not be aware of is that in actuality the condition can affect people of any age. Though it’s much less common in young people, people as young as two years old have been known to contract this chronic condition and it’s thought that around one quarter of arthritis sufferers worldwide are under the age of 65.
All of the varying varieties of arthritis affect the joints and rheumatoid arthritis is no different. It’s an autoimmune condition which means it’s caused when your body mistakes part of your own body as foreign and dangerous and attacks it with the immune system. In this case it attacks the cartilage which is found in your joints and acts as the cushion between bones, allowing ease of movement. The autoimmune reaction causes inflammation which is the defining factor behind the chronic pain and loss of mobility which is so common in sufferers of rheumatoid arthritis.
There are various things which put you at a much higher risk of rheumatoid arthritis and lots of different things the condition itself can cause. So, obesity for example, exacerbates arthritis and has actually been known to cause rheumatoid arthritis in the first place.
It’s long been thought that sufferers of rheumatoid arthritis were at a much higher risk of contracting hearing issues but thanks to the tireless efforts of researchers at the Mayo Clinic in the USA, this has been dis-proven. Though the study they’ve just completed was very small and will likely require some follow up studies to set it in stone, the findings were fairly definitive. Patients who suffer from rheumatoid arthritis can breathe a sigh of relief and be content in the knowledge that, though they may be stuck with the condition for the foreseeable future, their hearing will never be damaged by it!
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