The joints are an important part of our body, the body’s dozens of kilograms of weight depends on these joints to carry, and for decades or even centuries as a day. Once they become ill, the impact on people can be imagined. Therefore, it is necessary to understand more about this “rheumatoid” that causes us pain and eliminate misunderstandings. Many people in the west think that joint problems only occur when people get old. However, according to reports, in recent years, with the improvement of living standards, the proportion of young and middle-aged people suffering from arthritis is increasing, and the number is still increasing. However, there are many misconceptions about various types of arthritis diseases. What exactly is “rheumatoid”? What causes it, and is it really as “hopeless” as people think? Myth 1: Only the elderly suffer from rheumatoid arthritis When it comes to joint pain and swelling, many people believe that these diseases are the patent of the elderly, so many young people, especially children, are often misdiagnosed and underdiagnosed if these symptoms appear. New awareness: Because rheumatoid arthritis develops relatively slowly, mostly in middle-aged and older women, and the early symptoms of the disease, such as joint swelling and pain, are similar to those of common bone and joint diseases in middle-aged and older people, many initial patients often link this disease to natural aging and bone degeneration, believing that taking anti-inflammatory painkillers or calcium supplements will maintain their health. In fact, not only the elderly, but all people of all ages, including children, can suffer from rheumatoid arthritis. Myth 2: Long-term living and working in a humid environment is caused by “I used to live in a very humid house, and after a long time, my joints did not work.” Many people believe that rheumatoid arthritis is mainly due to being affected by a humid living and working environment. New understanding: rheumatoid arthritis is a systemic autoimmune disease that is extremely destructive and may even cause patients to develop severe deformities, resulting in the loss of some mobility and severely affecting daily life. “The disease is related to abnormal immune regulation, environmental factors, and genetic factors, but the true cause of the disease is still unknown. That is, rheumatoid arthritis can occur in a variety of climates, and it is primarily associated with abnormalities in the immune system.” The actual rheumatoid factor is a good way to get the most out of the rheumatoid factor. rheumatoid’, if the doctor does not ‘rheumatoid’ to treat, they will be very incomprehensible.” This is exactly one of the misconceptions people have. New understanding: rheumatoid factor is not a specific diagnostic indicator for rheumatoid arthritis. In addition to rheumatoid arthritis, some other common rheumatic diseases, such as systemic lupus erythematosus and dry syndrome, are often present. In addition, some infectious diseases, such as infective endocarditis and chronic hepatitis, can also be positive for rheumatoid factor, and even 4% of normal people will be positive. Therefore, a positive rheumatoid factor does not necessarily mean rheumatoid arthritis. In rheumatoid arthritis, the rate of rheumatoid factor positivity is about 60%. However, a negative rheumatoid factor does not exclude rheumatoid arthritis. Therefore, the diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis must be based on the patient’s clinical symptoms, physical signs, blood tests (anti-CCP antibodies, MCV, AKA, APF and other antibodies) and imaging tests, not just rheumatoid factor. Misconception 4: Rheumatoid arthritis is not curable Many people, due to the influence of false advertising, believe that rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic disease that “does not die of cancer”, there is no cure if you have it, and some simply give up treatment. New awareness: “With the rapid development of rheumatology, rheumatoid arthritis is no longer an incurable disease. As long as it can be diagnosed early, seize the opportunity to give positive and correct comprehensive treatment measures, most patients can keep their joints undeformed and their lives and work are not affected.” For people’s misunderstanding and worry, but she also reminded that “if not treated early and standardized, it can cause irreversible joint destruction and seriously affect the activity function.” Many initial patients delay the best treatment time precisely because of some misconceptions, so that the development of the disease is not effectively controlled, resulting in unimaginable consequences. “For rheumatoid arthritis, the successful treatment strategy is early and aggressive treatment.” Myth #5: Rheumatoid arthritis must be treated with hormones “To treat rheumatoid, you definitely have to use hormones.” During the treatment phase, many patients worry about being treated with hormones. New understanding: Currently, the drug of choice for rheumatoid arthritis is disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs, not hormones. Only a few patients need discretionary consideration in certain special circumstances.