Can arthritis kill you?

This post is a reaction to the many times I have heard “At least it’s nothing serious.” Well, some things about Rheumatoid Arthritis are downright serious. So, I want to place a warning to my readers that today I am utterly serious. For once, I have found something that is not a joking matter at all.

A few months ago, I read an old interview with Debra Norville about her mother who had RA. The author said that she had “died of Rheumatoid Arthritis.” Norville’s mom is not the first, of course. My own grandfather’s life was cut short and RA apparently was part of that.