Rheumatoid arthritis
This disease often affects several joints, such as the fingers, wrists, elbows, and ankles. It’s an auto-immune disease that principally affects the tissue lining the joints, called the synovial membrane.
As this disease progresses, the synovial membrane thickens and produces abnormal quantities of synovial fluid until a pannus forms, which progressively destroys the surrounding cartilage and bones.
Without treatment, the disease tends to progress in occasional flare-ups characterized by joint swelling, stiffness that is especially pronounced in the morning, and acute pain that wakens sufferers at night. Besides analgesics administered for pain relief, there are now disease-modifying treatments that can slow the disease’s progression. A healthy lifestyle and good diet combined with physiotherapy also have a significant impact.