What is meant by Rheumatoid arthritis? Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic, systemic inflammatory disorder.. No entry age limit for this , any time anybody will be an award winner for this chronic disease. It can be a disabling and painful condition, which can lead to substantial loss of functioning and mobility. Diagnosis and long-term management are typically performed by a rheumatologist, an expert in the diseases of joints and connective tissues. Various treatments are available. Non-pharmacological treatment includes physical therapy, orthoses and occupational therapy. Analgesia (painkillers) and anti-inflammatory drugs, including steroids, are used to suppress the symptoms, while disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs) are often required to inhibit or halt the underlying immune process and prevent long-term damage. In recent times, the newer group of biologics has increased treatment options. While rheumatoid arthritis primarily affects joints, problems involving other organs of the body are known to occur. Extra-articular (”outside the joints”) manifestations other than anemia (which is very common) are clinically evident in about 15-25% of individuals with rheumatoid arthritis. It can be difficult to determine whether disease manifestations are directly caused by the rheumatoid process itself, or from side effects of the medications commonly used to treat it – for example, lung fibrosis from methotrexate or osteoporosis from corticosteroids.