English noun: rheumatoid arthritis | |||
1. | rheumatoid arthritis (state) a chronic autoimmune disease with inflammation of the joints and marked deformities; something (possibly a virus) triggers an attack on the synovium by the immune system, which releases cytokines that stimulate an inflammatory reaction that can lead to the destruction of all components of the joint | ||
Synonyms | atrophic arthritis, rheumatism | ||
Broader (hypernym) | arthritis, autoimmune disease, autoimmune disorder | ||
Narrower (hyponym) | juvenile rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis, Still's disease | ||
Domain category | virus | ||