Arthritis is a blanket term for over 100 reasons as to why the joints of your body become swollen and inflamed. The main categories of arthritis are divided into rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis. Perhaps the most common is rheumatoid arthritis (also known as rheumatism). It is generally thought that the biggest rheumatoid arthritis cause is a failure of the body's immune system. Somehow, it doesn't recognize itself and attacks itself at the joints.

Still A Mystery

There is a lot about rheumatoid arthritis causes that remains a mystery. This is one reason why getting the diagnosis is so dreaded and whey there isn't a rheumatoid arthritis cure. It is thought that until we can understand the one or more rheumatoid arthritis causes that there are, we will never be able to find a safe and consistent cure.

We do have a working model as to rheumatoid arthritis causes. It is thought that the white blood cells of your body (which fight and destroy anything they do not recognize) travel from your blood into your synovial fluid (the cushioning fluid around your joints). Why the white blood cells go there is only one of the mysteries. We don't know what the white blood cells are going after. All we know for sure is that when the white blood cells start traveling, pain is sure to follow.

A Perfect Storm

The latest theories about a probable rheumatoid arthritis cause insist that we cannot point a finger at any single factor. They say that there has to be a wide combination of factors all happening in the wrong place at the wrong time. This all sets the body up in a perfect storm for rheumatoid arthritis.

These factors could include your genetic makeup, your lifestyle choices, your diet, how sedentary you are, your career, any injuries you've had in the past, what illnesses you've had in the past and what medications you've taken throughout your life.

You Can Do Something

Although the elusive rheumatoid arthritis cause currently eludes us, you do not have to resign yourself to unavoidably getting it. You can do a lot to reduce your chances of getting it, or getting a milder form of it. But even the early stages of arthritis needs to be treated under a doctor or a rheumatologist's care. Don't smoke, don't overindulge in alcoholic drinks, don't let yourself get grossly overweight, exercise regularly and eat a sensible, varied and balanced diet.