What is RA (Rheumatoid Arthritis)?

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic, systemic (whole body) disorder that may affect many tissues and organs, but principally affects the thin, loose vascular connective tissue (synovial tissue) that makes up the membranes surrounding joints.

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What is it like to have RA (Rheumatoid Arthritis)?

Common Symptoms Patients' Latest Severity My Current Severity  
Severity
Severe
Moderate
Mild
None
Joint pain None Mild Moderate Severe
Stiffness in morning None Mild Moderate Severe

What do patients take to treat RA (Rheumatoid Arthritis) and its symptoms?

Commonly prescribed and frequently used treatments

Treatment name Efficacy Overall rating of side effects # of Evaluations
Methotrexate
(Methotrexate Sodium, Preservative Free, Metoject, Rheumatrex Dose Pack, Trexall)
149
Hydroxychloroquine
(Hydroxychlor, Plaquenil)
82
Prednisone
(Encorton, Deltasone, Pronizon)
33
Etanercept
(Enbrel, Enbrel Prefilled Syringe, Enbrel SureClick)
32
Sulfasalazine
(Salazopyrin, Sulfazine)
30
Adalimumab
(Humira Pen Crohn's Disease Starter Package, Humira Pen Psoriasis Starter Package, Humira Pen, Humira)
30
Leflunomide
(Arava)
30
Meloxicam
(Teva-Meloxicam, Melox, Moxicam, Movalis)
12
Infliximab
(Remicade)
10
Tramadol
(Mabron, Tramium, Zydol SR, Ralivia)
5

These charts show data from RA (Rheumatoid Arthritis) patients' latest treatment evaluations

Who has RA (Rheumatoid Arthritis) at PatientsLikeMe?

<20 20-29 30-39 40-49 50-59 60-69 70+
Current Age
Distribution of females vs. males
Gender
92% Females
8% Males
Age at first symptom
Age at first symptom # of patients Proportion
0-19 yrs 266
20-29 yrs 330
30-39 yrs 565
40-49 yrs 481
50-59 yrs 196
60-69 yrs 30
70+ yrs 5
Diagnosis status
Diagnosis status # of patients Proportion
Diagnosed 2215
Not Officially Diagnosed 68

These charts show data from RA (Rheumatoid Arthritis) patients who have completed their condition history