Describe the pathophysiology of Rheumatoid Arthritis at the cellular level. How is it different from non-rheumatoid arthritis?

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Describe the pathophysiology of Rheumatoid Arthritis atthe cellular level. How is it different from non-rheumatoidarthritis?

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PATHOPHYSIOLOGY OF RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS Rheumatoid Arthritis RA is a chronic autoimmune disease When the immune system is functioning normally it recognises things like harmful bacteria and viruses and responds by creating an army of antibodies that seek out and fight them off In an autoimmune disease the body mistakenly thinks that normal tissues or organs of the body are harmful leading to inflammation and damage In RA this effectively results in the bodys immune system attacking the tissues of the joints causing pain and inflammation RA can cause permanent damage to joints especially in the early years of the disease The pathway to development of rheumatoid arthritis A number of risk factors such as smoking obesity and family history have been implicated in the development of RA Trigger Broadly speaking the combination of these factors can send a trigger to the body to create antibodies known as autoantibodies that seek out joint linings These autoantibodies include rheumatoid factor RF and anticyclic citrullinated peptide antibody antiCCP Inflammation This results in the production of chemicals being released including tumour necrosis factor alpha TNF Interleukin IL1 IL6 IL8 transforming growth factor beta TGF fibroblast growth factor FGF and plateletderived growth factor PDGF Joint and tissue destruction These chemicals inflame and damage the bodys cartilage bone    See Answer
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