is ra serious disease
And men can get RA too! The people who seem least likely to be diagnosed with full-blown RA are the elderly. Ironically, the name of the disease confuses people: Since the name of the disease has the word âarthritisâ in it, many assume Rheumatoid Arthritis is a disease of the elderly. Yes, RA is a serious illness comparable to diabetes or angina. RA patients do not tend to live as long and require lifelong treatment by a specialist. Being diagnosed with RA doubles the risk of developing heart disease, which is a major reason for the high mortality rate of RA.