I am setting myself a challenge to walk 500,000 steps in May to raise money for The National Rheumatoid Arthritis Charity.  This charity is extremely close to my heart as my fiancé suffers with the effects daily .. his life changed 18 months ago when his rheumatoid arthritis returned with debilitating effects after years being in remission causing him to give up his home and garden maintenance  business that he had worked so hard to set up. 

I’m raising awareness for this disease and the impact it has on everyday life both physically and mentally.

f you say ‘arthritis’ most people assume you’re talking about wear and tear on the joints, which many older people have.  That’s osteoarthritis.  Rheumatoid arthritis, or RA, is different.

It is a type of disease known as an autoimmune condition. This means that your body’s immune system has made a mistake and picked a wrong target. To explain: your immune system is designed to defend your body against infection. It should not attack your body. Sometimes the immune system becomes too active, and mistakenly attacks your body, and this is called ‘autoimmune’ disease. 

When you have RA, your immune system attacks the lining of your joints (the synovial lining).  This causes inflammation, which leads to symptoms such as pain and stiffness. 

RA is a symmetrical arthritis, meaning that it usually affects both sides of the body in a similar pattern, although this is not always the case. It tends to affect the small joints of the hands and feet first – often the knuckle joints in the fingers.  It is described as a polyarthritis, meaning that many joints can be inflamed. 

RA is a systemic disease, meaning that it doesn’t just affect joints. RA can affect a person’s whole system, including organs such as the lungs, heart and eyes. 

About 1% of the population in the UK has RA – more than 400,000 people in the UK.  It affects more women than men, roughly two to three times as many women. The most common age for people to develop RA is between 40 and 60, or a bit older for men.  But people can get it at any age, even from the age of 14 when it’s ‘early onset’ RA. There are other forms of inflammatory arthritis, but RA is the most common. 

If RA is not treated or is inadequately treated, it can cause irreversible damage to joints and lead to disability – and this used to happen often.  But today, the management of RA is very good, far better than it was even 15 years ago

The National Rheumatoid Arthritis Society (NRAS) is here to support all those living with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) to allow them to live their lives to the full. Visit our website at www.nras.org.ukNRAS is changing minds, changing services, changing lives for people with RA and JIA