An Overview on the Symptoms of Rheumatoid Arthritis

Rheumatoid arthritis is the second most common form of arthritis after osteoarthritis. Arthritis is a group of diseases which share common symptoms, i.e. joint pain; yet each of them has certain unique characteristics and different underlying etiology.

Rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune disease, which means that our immune system mistakenly interpret certain parts of our own organ system as a threat. In rheumatoid arthritis, it is the joint, especially the lining system that is under attack. This odd pathologic mechanism leads to characteristic symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis such as swelling, redness, pain and even disabilities. Due to its systemic nature, the erratic immune system in rheumatoid arthritis not only affects the joints, it also attacks other organs like eyes, lungs, blood vessels and heart. Osteoporosis secondary to rheumatoid arthritis is also a common finding, and treatment with glucocorticoids may further contribute to the worsening of osteoporosis.

The rheumatoid arthritis symptoms is usually begins with insidious vague fatigueness, anorexia, generalized weakness and unobvious muscle pain. The symptoms may persist for weeks or months, and can be viewed as prodromal symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis. This prodromal state usually end after the joints inflammation become apparent.

Morning stiffness is a famous feature of arthritic diseases. It is a generalized joint stiffness which usually last not more than an hour in the morning and disappear when the patient begins her/his daily activites.

The joints pain in rheumatoid arthritis most usually takes a symmetrical pattern. It typically affects multiple little joints in both hands and/or feet. It can also damage bigger joints such as the ankles, knees and elbows. About one out of three patients who suffered from rheumatoid arthritis will develop subcutaneous rheumatoid nodules which usually found near the joints structure but can also grow in hidden places such as in the pleura (a thin lining at the surface of the lungs) and the meninges that covers our brain.

The symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis usually take a chronic course with remissions and acute phases. During remission periods, the symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis usually disappear but will return once the disease becomes active again. Joint damage takes a long course to finally debilitate the patient. This course can be slowed down with the use of modern medications known as disease modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARDs).