Thelansis

  In Rheumatoid arthritis (RA), the body's immune system attacks the lining of the joints, resulting in pain and inflammation. RA is a chronic systemic inflammatory disease, most frequently afflicting the synovial membranes of multiple joints. The most destructive element of the disease is abnormal growth and division of the cells of the synovium, which results in thickening of the synovium, eventually forming the pannus, a sheet of inflammatory tissue. The pannus invades the joint, destroys the articular cartilage and the subchondral bone, and erodes the ligaments and tendons. The destruction of bone eventually leads to laxity in tendons and ligaments. Fibrous ankylosis may form in the late stage of the disease. Under the strain of daily activities and other forces, bone and joint structure alterations result in deformities frequently seen in patients with RA. Rheumatoid factor is an immunoglobulin not generally found in the general population (only 1% to 2% of healthy people are ...