Rheumatoid arthritis

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is an inflammatory joint disease which usually affects many joints at the same time. It is characterised by inflammation and swelling. It tends to affect people at a younger age than osteoarthritis. Research suggests that it is mediated by an auto-immune process which means that the body's own immune system attacks and destroys the joint surface.

There are many medical treatments for patients with RA and in recent times these have become so successful that we are seeing less patients progressing to the point of needing joint replacement.