About Arthritis and Rheumatoid Arthritis

By Karen Ager

More than 40 million Americans have arthritis, the nation’s leading cause of disability. Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a virulent strain of the joint-stiffening malady often thought of as a hazard of old age. RA is an autoimmune disease, like AIDS, that causes the body to attack itself. It is chronic, progressive, deforming and as yet incurable.

The medical community doesn’t even know if RA’s source is viral or bacterial, whether genetics plays a role, or if stress is part of the triggering mechanism. For many RA sufferers like me, the disease begins almost invisibly, with occasional joint “flare-ups” as the only signs of the inner destruction that limits mobility and can lead to disfigurement, joint-replacement surgeries—even death.

Like MS, Lupus or Parkinsons, RA gradually erodes every dimension of your life. My web site seeks to offer you support so that you can better manage each phase of your journey with this disease.

RA In the News

Current news