BHG Articles

Rheumatoid Arthritis can be a big hindrance to daily activities and patients are often faced with many difficulties. Categorized under the autoimmune type among the seven main arthritis conditions, rheumatoid arthritis is a disorder occurring when the body’s immune system starts to attack itself because of some external trigger. The most commonly found arthritis condition is osteoarthritis, which affects the joints due to age, trauma or infection. Rheumatoid arthritis is a gradual condition, developing over several months and years. The symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis begin with little joint aches and pains.

Described in brief, rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic ailment, caused in response to some external factor triggering a systemic autoimmune condition. The joints swell up and begin to worsen in physical fitness over time, creating long-term pain and discomfort. The beginning symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis are inflamed and painful fingers and toes. The disorder mostly affects the joints, but around 15% of rheumatoid arthritis patients are also affected with extra-articular (beyond the joint areas) symptoms.

The symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis are not constant, as they tend to appear as ?flare-ups?; that is they crop up suddenly after a period of well-being, and it could be at any time of day or night. However, it is generally found that patients are worst affected with pain in the morning hours, shortly after waking up. As the day progresses, the inflammation reduces and is minimal by the time night sets in. The only plausible explanation could be that sleep reduces activity and leads to stiffness, which gradually disappears with movement.

When rheumatoid arthritis begins to spread, it usually affects other joints, including the jaw, shoulders, elbows and hips. The pain and inflammation often affects joint pairs, such as both elbows or both knees. This is a common tendency seeing in patients with the condition. The typical symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis are joint pain, swelling and stiffness, often accompanied by a warming sensation and redness around the joints.

A set of symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis, are referred to as secondary symptoms. These are connected to general health conditions as a response to the pain. These could be loss of appetite, anxiety, stress, depression, anemia, nodules under the skin, and a general feeling of being ill. Over 25% of the patients complain of skin nodules, specifically in the forearms and in the elbows. Though painless, they are small lumps that can be felt and sometimes seen as bumps on the skin. Anemia is a condition of inadequate red blood cells to carry oxygen to the whole body, and it leads to fatigue, and laziness. This is found in over 80% of the patients.

Severe rheumatoid arthritis can also cause fever and weight loss due to the combination of other symptoms. The discomfort often drives patients to sleep deprivation, weakness and constant pain. Most patients suffer from anxiety and depression because of this and as a result, they become more physically ill. The symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis also include inflammation of other body parts, such as the lining of the heart and lungs, blood vessels, tear glands and salivary glands.

The symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis point to a series of risk factors like age, gender, genetic history and harmful habits like smoking. Women in the 40-60 age group are at a higher risk. Juvenile rheumatoid arthritis is rare but not unheard of. This condition is generally not hereditary, but dormant genes can flare up with certain triggers.