JOINT INFLAMMATION is a very painful, with multiple sets of conditions (100), progressively leading to joint damage, deformity and loss of mobility. Arm and leg joint swelling is typical for this problem. Chronic pain, disability and death are unfortunate results.
Joint inflammation has an estimated prevalence of 1 to 2%. Prevalence increases with age, approaching 5% in women over age 55. The average annual incidence in the United States is about 70 per 100,000 annually. Rheumatoid arthritis occurs two to three times more in women than in men. Although rheumatoid arthritis may present at any age, patients most commonly are first affected in the third to sixth decades.
