| rheumatoid arthritis n. A chronic disease marked by stiffness and inflammation of the joints, weakness, loss of mobility, and deformity. |   top: normal finger joint bottom: arthritic finger joint |
rheumatoid arthritis
Noun
a chronic disease causing painful swelling of the joints
rheumatoid arthritis (r  m -toid ) A chronic autoimmune disease characterized by progressive arthritis of several small or medium-sized joints, especially in the hands. Symptoms can include morning stiffness, joint swelling and weakness, and deformity and disability. |
ThesaurusLegend: Synonyms Related Words Antonyms
| 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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