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The Genetic Inheritance And Discovery Of Rheumatoid Arthritis

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The Genetic Inheritance and Discovery of Rheumatoid Arthritis
Abigail L. Atkinson
B7 Biology 5/22/17

Finding the cause of arthritis is important because 31 million people in the United States of America are affected. The definite cause is still unknown, but in this paper recent scientific studies regarding rheumatoid arthritis will be discussed and explained. Rheumatoid arthritis a serious, crippling disease that comes in many forms. Many people have heard of arthritis, but don’t know exactly what it is. Arthritis is a autoimmune disease that is a combination of over 100 diseases. What happens is the immune system fights against the body and causes inflammation while deteriorating the synovium around the joints.(Compton’s by …show more content…

Youngson) Children can have rheumatoid arthritis too. People under the age of 16 are diagnosed with juvenile rheumatoid arthritis or JRA. Juvenile rheumatoid arthritis is the most common form of arthritis in young people. There are 3 main types of juvenile rheumatoid arthritis; pauciarticular, polyarticular, and systemic. Pauciarticular JRA typically affects the larger joints such as the knees. It affects less than 4 joints and is the most common form of juvenile rheumatoid arthritis. It is most common in females under the age of 8. 20-30% of people with this type of arthritis develop eye disease as well. Polyarticular JRA affects 30% of children with juvenile rheumatoid arthritis. This type occurs in 5 or more joints and typically affects the smaller joints such as the fingers. This form also has a tendency to be symmetric. For example, the left and right wrist are both affected. Systemic juvenile rheumatoid arthritis is an odd form of arthritis. It is also known as Still’s disease. It is serious because it often affects the child’s internal organs as well.(Dr. Glass, Dr. White, Dr. Serrate-Sztein, Dr. Pachman, Dr. Giannini, Novemeber 9, 2013) Treatment for juvenile and adult rheumatoid arthritis are similar. There hasn 't been a discovery on how to cure the disease, but there are ways to minimize the symptoms and slow the progression of joint damage. Treatment

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