You've heard of it and may even know someone who has it but what exactly is rheumatoid arthritis, or RA?

Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic ? meaning 'ongoing' ? inflammatory disorder that affects the joints, sometimes to the extent that it causes deformity. An autoimmune disorder, it happens when your immune system mistakenly attacks your own body's tissues. ? In addition to causing joint problems, RA can affect your whole body with fevers and fatigue, as well as lung and eye problems. ? According to Durban rheumatologist Dr Savi Nayiager, the disease affects all races, but around 80 percent of patients are women. She says that that one in 100 women may get RA, which usually occurs between the ages of 40 and 60.

Signs and symptoms include joint pain and swelling, morning stiffness that can last for hours, fever, weight loss and fatigue and red, puffy hands and joints that are tender to the touch.

"Rheumatoid arthritis is not very difficult to diagnose," says Dr Nayiager. "Early diagnosis and treatment is important in preventing the relentless destruction of joints and permanent disability."

Adele Parkins, a 42 year old mother of two, agrees. In 1997, thinking that she may have tick bite fever, Adele went to the first of what would be many visits to several doctors before being diagnosed with RA. Her hands, feet, wrists and ankles were affected, and later her elbows, knees and hips.

"I lived in constant pain for years, even with numerous medications, three-weekly cortisone injections, various hospital stays, hydrotherapy, physiotherapy, reflexology, complimentary therapies and regular blood tests," Adele says.

"I was bruised all over as nurses tried to find veins for the injections. Taking care of my two daughters, cooking and cleaning was a huge challenge. It was difficult to perform the simplest of tasks, like turning a key, opening a tap, tying a shoelace, sewing or knitting."

Dr Nayiager says that patients like Adele, in whom there is an inadequate response to standard disease modifying drugs, should be considered for biologics, a class of drugs that have proved invaluable in the treatment of certain autoimmune diseases and other chronic conditions.

In December 2007, biologics were prescribed for Adele. She remembers it as a defining moment in her treatment. "By the second injection, I noticed an improvement. Fewer joints were painful, stiff and swollen. By the third injection, there was a marked improvement in all my affected joints."

Initially, Adele experienced side effects like severe cramping, as well as tremors in her arms and legs for a few days after an injection. However, these disappeared by the fourth injection.

"I had a few other side effects as well, such as occasional pins and needles under my feet. My contact lenses also became uncomfortable due to my dry eyes, but I can now do almost anything that I could do before I had RA. The regular morning stiffness that I became used to has completely disappeared."

South African doctors have been using biologics in the treatment of RA for about eight years, Dr Nayiager says and it's been life-changing for many, not least Adele.

"I was asked if I would join the Dance for Life ballroom dancing competition for people suffering from diseases like RA and undergoing treatment with biologics. I didn't know whether I'd be physically capable of learning the dance routine but I soon found myself loving every minute of the experience."

Adele remembers tremendous encouragement from friends and family who suggested she go for it with everything she had.

"In the beginning, while it was a lot of fun, all the rehearsing caused a lot of stiff muscles due to the activity my body was not used to. I got over that and have made some wonderful friends through the competition. We understand each other because of our shared personal journeys in coping with RA," she says gratefully.

The Biologics Working Group of South Africa (BWG) says that biologics are hailed as the "wonder-drug" in the fight against arthritis, offering the hope of partial or in some cases, complete remission to people with systemic arthritis diseases like RA, ankylosing spondylitis, psoriatic arthritis and juvenile arthritis.

Aside from sex and age, risk factors for RA may include smoking and family history, though medical experts suggest that you don't directly inherit the condition, but inherit a predisposition to it.

While there's still no cure for RA, treatment options have expanded greatly in the past few decades. Early diagnosis and treatment could see you up and dancing sometime soon!

For more information, call the Arthritis Foundation of South Africa's National Helpline on 0861 30 30 30 or send a mail to info@arthritis.org.za