Table of Contents
How does rheumatoid arthritis affect the internal organs?
However, this condition can also affect many other parts of the body, including the eyes, lungs, and heart. Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) causes a person’s immune system to attack healthy tissue. Without treatment, RA can have wide-ranging effects. RA affects the joints, but also the skin, brain, heart, and other areas.
What does early rheumatoid arthritis feel like?
Tender, warm, swollen joints (typically in symmetrical joints on both sides of the body) Joint stiffness that is usually worse in the mornings and after being inactive. Fatigue. Fever.
What are the symptoms of a person suffering from rheumatoid arthritis?
Signs and symptoms of RA include:
- Pain or aching in more than one joint.
- Stiffness in more than one joint.
- Tenderness and swelling in more than one joint.
- The same symptoms on both sides of the body (such as in both hands or both knees)
- Weight loss.
- Fever.
- Fatigue or tiredness.
- Weakness.
How does rheumatoid arthritis affect the eyes?
As it relates to the eye, rheumatoid arthritis may lead to conditions such as dry eye, scleritis, or uveitis. Dry eye is a common condition in which the eyes do not produce adequate tears, leading to redness and irritation. Scleritis affects the sclera, or white portion of the eye, causing pain and inflammation.
Can RA affect one side of the body?
It often affects small and large joints on both sides of the body (symmetrical), such as both hands, both wrists or elbows, or the balls of both feet. Symptoms often begin on one side of the body and may spread to the other side.
What is the typical age of onset for rheumatoid arthritis?
You can get rheumatoid arthritis (RA) at any age, but it’s most likely to show up between ages 30 and 50. When it starts between ages 60 and 65, it’s called elderly-onset RA or late-onset RA.
What are the early signs and symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis (RA)?
These are just a few of the major early signs and symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). RA is a long-term autoimmune disorder that typically affects a person’s joints. What usually begins as a warm feeling or swollen hands can quickly turn into pain that just won’t go away.
How quickly does rheumatoid arthritis affect the body?
It usually comes on slowly, although it can come on suddenly and affect multiple joints over the course of one or two days. Joint stiffness is often followed by joint tenderness or pain during movement or while at rest. This also affects both sides of the body equally. In early RA, the most common sites for pain are the fingers and wrists.
Does rheumatoid arthritis affect both sides of the body?
This also affects both sides of the body equally. In early RA, the most common sites for pain are the fingers and wrists. You may also experience pain in your knees, feet, ankles, or shoulders. Mild inflammation of the joints is typical early on, causing your joints to appear bigger than normal.
Is weight loss an early sign of rheumatoid arthritis?
Unexplained weight loss may be an early sign of RA. Weight loss in RA may be due to weakness and fatigue. 2 The challenge of early recognition of RA is that it may be difficult to distinguish from other types of arthritis involving inflammation.