Rheumatoid arthritis
RARheumatoid arthritis is a chronic autoimmune disease in which the immune system attacks the lining of joints, causing inflammation, pain, swelling and eventual joint damage.
It typically affects small joints of the hands, wrists and feet symmetrically, with morning stiffness lasting more than an hour. Fatigue, low-grade fever and weight loss are common, and inflammation can extend to the eyes, lungs, heart and blood vessels. Onset is most common between thirty and sixty, and women are affected about two to three times as often as men. It is distinct from osteoarthritis, which is a wear-related disease rather than an autoimmune one.
Rheumatologists diagnose it from the pattern of joint involvement, blood tests for rheumatoid factor, anti-CCP antibodies and inflammatory markers, and imaging showing erosions. Early treatment with disease-modifying drugs is standard because it limits permanent damage. Cannabinoids have been studied in inflammatory arthritis, mostly in laboratory and small clinical settings, and the evidence is limited.