Nearly One Third of Rheumatoid Arthritis Severe After 20 Yearshttp://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2002/06/12/rheumatoid-arthritis-part-eight.aspxRheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune disease in which the body's defenses attack its own tissues. It is more common in women, tends to strike between the ages of 36 and 50, and results in a chronic destruction and deformity of the joints. ApproximatelyenCommunityServer 2008.5 SP1 (Build: 31106.3070)