Pratibha, one of my closest friends, now 36, aspired to be a pilot in her prime time. But now she is just happy looking after her family and home, as a homemaker. She is not even complaining because at the age of 23 she was diagnosed with Rheumatoid Arthritis! At that time she could not even dream of continuing with her life normally without having to depend on others, entirely. Pilot training demanded rigorous flight hours which her joints could not endure for long.
Millions of women across the globe are plagued by this disease at a very young age. The disease manifests cruelly in women who have to shoulder huge professional as well as domestic responsibilities.
What is Rheumatoid Arthritis?
This is an autoimmune disease where the body's immune system starts attacking its own tissues mistakenly. People with this disease have antibodies circulating in their blood stream that target the body's tissues and organs resulting in severe pain, stiffness and inflammation. Since it affects the multiple organs of the body, Rheumatoid Arthritis is known as a systemic syndrome. This is a chronic illness which progresses eventually to cause joint obliteration and finally functional disability and women are more susceptible to it because of their different immune system and comparatively weaker musculoskeletal structure.