attacks its own immune system. Patients with these types of diseases have antibodies in

their blood that target their own body's tissues. Rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune

disease that causes chronic inflammation the joints as well as other organs in the body. It

often develops gradually over a period of years, however, in rare cases it can appear

Rheumatoid arthritis affects more than two million people each year in the United

States alone. It afflicts people of all races equally, but is three times more common in

women than in men. It occurs most often in people twenty to fifty years old, however,

young children and the elderly also have the potential to develop the disease. The exact

cause of rheumatoid arthritis is unknown. The job of the immune system is to protect the

body from infection. In rheumatoid arthritis there is a trigger to the immune system to

attack the joints and organs. Immune cells, called lymphocytes, are activated and chemical

messengers are expressed in inflamed areas. It was once suspected that infectious agents

heart (pericarditis). Both cause severe chest pain, coughing, fever and often requires

Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 1599
Approximate Pages = 6 (250 words per page double spaced)