The Joints :
In rheumatoid arthritis, the immune system, for unknown reasons, attacks a person's own cells inside the joint capsule.
White blood cells that are part of the normal immune system travel to the synovium and cause a reaction.
This reaction, or inflammation, is called synovitis, and it results in the warmth, redness, swelling, and pain that are typical symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis.
As rheumatoid arthritis progresses, these abnormal synovial cells begin to invade and destroy the cartilage and bone within the joint.
The surrounding muscles, ligaments, and tendons that support and stabilize the joint become weak and unable to work normally.
All of these effects lead to the pain and deformities often seen in rheumatoid arthritis.
Doctors studying rheumatoid arthritis now believe that damage to bones begins during the first year or two that a person has the disease.
During the inflammation process, the cells of the synovium grow and divide abnormally, making the normally thin synovium thick and resulting in a joint that is swollen and puffy to the touch.
Paralumun New Age Village