Why should wire-wound resistors not be used in RF circuits?

Wire-wound resistors are constructed by wrapping a length of resistive wire into a tight coil around a ceramic core. Because any coiled wire inherently acts as an inductor, this manufacturing method introduces significant stray inductance into the component. While this inductance is negligible at direct current (DC) or low audio frequencies, it creates substantial inductive reactance at radio frequencies (RF). This unintended reactance acts like a choke, altering the total impedance of the circuit and making overall RF circuit performance highly unpredictable.