What is unique about rheumatoid arthritis?

What is unique about rheumatoid arthritis?

Unlike the wear-and-tear damage of osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis affects the lining of your joints, causing a painful swelling that can eventually result in bone erosion and joint deformity. The inflammation associated with rheumatoid arthritis is what can damage other parts of the body as well.

How do you describe rheumatoid arthritis pain?

Pain in the joints Symmetric pain in multiple joints is what makes RA different from other types of arthritis. For example, you’ll feel pain in both left and right wrists, hands, and knees. If you have RA, joint pain can range from mild to moderate or severe. Sometimes it can feel like a sprain or broken bone.

How does rheumatoid arthritis affect daily life?

Rheumatoid arthritis causes joint pain and swelling, reduced mobility and physical weakness. General tiredness, trouble sleeping and exhaustion are other common symptoms. All of these symptoms can greatly affect your everyday life and overall wellbeing.

What does rheumatoid arthritis mainly affect?

RA mainly attacks the joints, usually many joints at once. RA commonly affects joints in the hands, wrists, and knees. In a joint with RA, the lining of the joint becomes inflamed, causing damage to joint tissue.

What are the early symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis?

Rheumatoid arthritis is subtle and often presents itself similarly to other arthritis diseases. Early symptoms include minor joint pain, stiffness, and fatigue, but these are often attributed to other, less problematic causes. For instance, sometimes symptoms will resemble the flu, making RA more difficult to detect.

What happens if you don’t treat rheumatoid arthritis?

In other words, people with rheumatoid arthritis will likely experience worsening pain and stiffness, especially if this particular inflammatory arthritis isn’t treated with non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medications or other standard treatment protocol. RA affects the most important joints in the body, including joints in the:

How does rheumatoid arthritis cause sickness behavior?

The cytokines that are involved in autoimmune diseases like rheumatoid arthritis are implicated in sickness behavior (Dantzer et al., 2008). 3 Increased levels of these cytokines are observed in patients with RA.

What is the pathophysiology of rheumatoid arthritis (RA)?

In people with RA, the autoimmune process causes the synovium in certain joints to become inflamed. The tissue swells and becomes painful with every movement of the affected joints.