top: normal finger joint
bottom: arthritic finger joint
rheumatoid arthritis
n.
A chronic autoimmune disease marked by stiffness and inflammation of the joints, fatigue, and weakness, and often, in later stages, severe joint damage and disability.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
rheumatoid arthritis
n
(Pathology) a chronic disease of the musculoskeletal system, characterized by inflammation and swelling of joints (esp joints in the hands, wrists, knees, and feet), muscle weakness, and fatigue
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014
rheu′matoid arthri′tis
n.
a chronic autoimmune disease characterized by inflammation and progressive deformity of the joints.
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.
rheu·ma·toid arthritis
(ro͞o′mə-toid′) A chronic disease in which the joints, especially of the hands and feet, become inflamed, leading to stiffness, weakness, and loss of movement.
The American Heritage® Student Science Dictionary, Second Edition. Copyright © 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
rheumatoid arthritis
1. A chronic inflammatory disorder affecting joints, especially those of the fingers and toes, and causing severe swelling. Marked by exacerbations (flare-ups) and remissions (decrease in severity of symptoms). It is an autoimmune disease (the body’s immune system attacks its own tissues).
2. An autoimmune disorder which attacks the joints and surrounding tissues, causing them to become painful, swollen, stiff, and even deformed.
Dictionary of Unfamiliar Words by Diagram Group Copyright © 2008 by Diagram Visual Information Limited
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
| Noun | 1. |  rheumatoid arthritis - a chronic autoimmune disease with inflammation of the joints and marked deformities; something (possibly a virus) triggers an attack on the synovium by the immune system, which releases cytokines that stimulate an inflammatory reaction that can lead to the destruction of all components of the jointvirus - (virology) ultramicroscopic infectious agent that replicates itself only within cells of living hosts; many are pathogenic; a piece of nucleic acid (DNA or RNA) wrapped in a thin coat of protein arthritis - inflammation of a joint or joints autoimmune disease, autoimmune disorder - any of a large group of diseases characterized by abnormal functioning of the immune system that causes your immune system to produce antibodies against your own tissues psoriatic arthritis - a form of rheumatoid arthritis usually affecting fingers and toes and associated with psoriasis juvenile rheumatoid arthritis, Still's disease - a form of rheumatoid arthritis that affects children; large joints become inflamed and bone growth may be retarded |
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