Rheumatoid arthritis belongs to the hundred forms of chronic inflammatory rheumatisms known as arthritis. It affects 1 to 3% of occidental population and the women twice more often than men. Although the rheumatoid arthritis can appear at any age, it begins to develop usually at the early adulthood, and symptoms become apparent between 25 and 55 years.
This form of arthritis manifests itself by chronic inflammation of the membrane surrounding articulations (the synovial membrane). The inflamed membrane attacks cartilages, ligaments, muscles and bones, causing at long last the articulations to deform, which can be very serious.