Introduction:
Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic systemic
inflammatory disease whose major manifestation is
synovitis of multiple joints. The hallmark of
rheumatoid arthritis is symmetrical synovial
proliferation and tenderness of multiple joints,
particularly the small joints of hands and feet. When
the disease is unchecked, it leads to substantial
disability and premature death1. It affects
approximately 0.8 percent of adults worldwide 2 and
is more common in women (by a ratio of 3 to 1) and
has an earlier onset in women, frequently beginning
in the childbearing years.3