What’s it like living with rheumatoid arthritis? The challenges you face

‘Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic rheumatic, inflammatory, and autoimmune condition that causes pain, swelling, stiffness, and a gradual loss of joint function. How the disease progresses largely depends on how early it is diagnosed. In most cases, it is a lifelong condition, as there is still no definitive cure.

Living with rheumatoid arthritis means managing a persistent autoimmune inflammatory disease that primarily affects the joints. It occurs more frequently in women, with a female-to-male ratio of about 3–4:1, and is most commonly diagnosed between the ages of 40 and 60. That said, it can develop at any point in life, including during childhood.