Researchers at the nonprofit research organization, the Allen Institute, in Seattle, Washington, together with scientists of the University of Colorado Anschutz School of Medicine in Aurora, Colorado, the University of San Diego in California, and the Benaroya Research Institute in Seattle, have discovered that people who are at risk of developing rheumatoid arthritis, undergo severe immune system changes long before symptoms occur.

Rheumatoid arthritis is a debilitating, systemic autoimmune disease in which the body’s own immune system begins to attack healthy cells. It is mainly caused by a combination of genetic and environmental factors, and, once triggered, results in chronic inflammation of the joints and other parts of the body. If left untreated, rheumatoid arthritis can lead to

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