Rheumatoid arthritis
The rheumatoid nodule is the most common cutaneous manifestation of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Rheumatoid arthritis involves chronic inflammation of synovial membranes, which leads to degradation of articular cartilage and the juxta-articular bone. Inflammation is caused by T cells, B cells and monocytes when endothelial cells are activated. Neovascularization, or the growth of new blood vessels, serves as an additional marker for rheumatoid arthritis. A hyperplastic synovial lining layer can be caused by the expansion of synovial fibroblast and macrophage cells. This expansion of the synovial membrane, sometimes referred to as "pannus," can lead to bony erosions and cartilage degradation at the site of the cartilage-bone junction in the periarticular bone.