Rheumatoid arthritis is best described as
- A. a purely degenerative disease of old age
- B. an autoimmune inflammation of the synovial membrane
- C. a deficiency of calcium in the diet
- D. a fungal infection of the bone marrow
Explanation
In rheumatoid arthritis the immune system attacks the body's own synovial membrane, which becomes inflamed and thickened and eventually destroys the cartilage and bone beneath, so treatment aims at suppressing immunity rather than at replacing cartilage. It typically affects the small joints of the hands symmetrically and can begin in young adults, unlike osteoarthritis. Calcium deficiency causes rickets and osteomalacia instead.