Rheumatoid Arthritis - Symptoms

What are the symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis?

Symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis vary greatly from person to person and can be mild, moderate or severe. At the onset of the disease, the symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis are often vague and develop slowly. Symptoms may not include the classic symptom of joint pain that people often associate with rheumatoid arthritis. These indistinct, early symptoms may include:

Fatigue
General stiffness that lasts more than one hour after rising in the morning
Loss of appetite
Muscle achiness throughout the body
Weakness

Joint symptoms eventually develop and progress. They generally affect the wrists, fingers, knees, feet and ankles on both sides of the body. Joint symptoms include:

Hand and feet deformities
Inflammation and warmth
Joint destruction that develops within one to two years after the onset of the disease
Pain
Stiffness
Swelling

Additional symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis include:

Eye problems
Nodules under the skin
Pale skin
Redness and inflammation of the skin
Swollen glands

INTRODUCTION

What is rheumatoid arthritis?

Rheumatoid arthritis is an ongoing, progressive disease that affects the joints of the body with episodes of painful inflammation. It is an autoimmune disease that can also cause inflammation and damage to blood vessels and organs.... Read more about rheumatoid arthritis introduction

CAUSES

What causes rheumatoid arthritis?

The exact cause of rheumatoid arthritis is not known, but it is classified as an autoimmune disease. In an autoimmune disease, the body’s immune system mistakes healthy tissues as dangerous to the body and attacks them. This results in inflammation that can eventually destroy joints and damage blood vessels and organs.... Read more about rheumatoid arthritis causes

TREATMENTS

How is rheumatoid arthritis treated?

Rheumatoid arthritis treatment plans use a multifaceted approach and are individualized to the stage of advancement of the disease and your age, medical history, and coexisting diseases or conditions. There is no cure for rheumatoid arthritis, but with early recognition and treatment, it is possible to minimize or delay joint damage and complications of the disease, such as chronic pain and disability. Because rheumatoid arthritis is progressive and chronic in nature, treatment usually needs to be continuous, even lifelong in some cases.... Read more about rheumatoid arthritis treatments

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