Rheumatoid Arthritis
What are the effects?
Rheumatoid arthritis can start in any joint, but it most commonly begins in the smaller joints of the fingers, hands and wrists. Joint involvement is usually symmetrical, meaning that if a joint hurts on the left hand, the same joint will hurt on the right hand. In general, more joint erosion indicates more severe disease activity.
Other common physical symptoms include:
- Stiffness, particularly in the morning and when sitting for long periods of time. Typically, the longer the morning stiffness lasts, the more active your disease is.
- Weakness
- Flu-like symptoms, including a low-grade fever
- Pain associated with prolonged sitting
- The occurrence of flares of disease activity followed by remission or disease inactivity
- Rheumatoid nodules, or lumps of tissue under the skin, appear in about one-fifth of people with RA. Typically found on the elbows, they can indicate more severe disease activity.
- Muscle pain
- Loss of appetite, depression, weight loss, anemia, cold and/or sweaty hands and feet
- Involvement of the glands around the eyes and mouth, causing decreased production of tears and saliva (Sjögren’s syndrome)
Advanced changes to look out for include damage to cartilage, tendons, ligaments and bone, which causes deformity and instability in the joints. The damage can lead to limited range of motion, resulting in daily tasks (grasping a fork, combing hair, buttoning a shirt) becoming more difficult. You also may see skin ulcers and a general decline in health. People with severe RA are more susceptible to infection.
The effects of rheumatoid arthritis can vary from person to person. In fact, there is some growing belief that RA isn’t one disease, but it may be several different diseases that share commonalities.
