The 20 Best Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) Doctors Near Me in clarinda, IA

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic autoimmune inflammatory disease that mainly affects the lining of joints of the hands, wrists, and knees, eventually causing chronic pain and swelling, decreased movement, with the erosion of bones and the development of joint deformities.  Rheumatoid arthritis is the most common type of autoimmune arthritis, most often affecting women (75%) who are between 20 and 50 years of age. The disease can also affect other parts of the body, such as the blood vessels, skin, eyes, lungs, and heart.   There are two main types of rheumatoid arthritis: 1) seropositive rheumatoid arthritis, and 2) seronegative rheumatoid arthritis. While both types of rheumatoid arthritis have the same symptoms, the seropositivity or negativity of the disease refers to the presence of anti-CPP antibodies in the blood, for which their presence means that the immune system is attacking normal cells. Most rheumatoid arthritis is seropositive.