Rheumatoid arthritis

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a systemic autoimmune disease mainly manifested by erosive arthritis. The clinical manifestations of this disease are symmetrical, persistent polyarthritis, mainly involving small joints such as the hands and wrist joints. The pathological manifestations are chronic inflammation of the synovium of the joint, formation of vasculature, and the destruction of articular cartilage and bone, which can eventually lead to joint deformity and loss of function. The prevalence of RA in mainland China is about 0.2% -0.4%, with a total of nearly 5 million patients. The disease is characterized by multiple females (male to female ratio of about 1: 3), which can occur at any age, 80% of patients are 35-50 years old. At the same time, the occurrence of rheumatoid may be related to endocrine, nutrition, occupational, psychological and environmental differences, bacterial and viral infections, and genetic factors.