When Does Rheumatoid Arthritis Start?

Please share this one!

… Continued …

  1. The symptoms occur infrequently.
  2. They look similar to those for mild conditions, like a common flu event.
  3. They don’t strike abruptly, which are not significant enough to interfere with your daily life. For example, they are usually mild at first so you tend to ignore them.

Joint pain is the most common discomfort of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). The affected joint can also have tenderness, redness, and stiffness.

Typically, the symptoms come at certain times and then relieve. This is what we call as a ‘flare’. Like other autoimmune disease, people with RA have periods of flare-ups (worsening symptoms) and remissions (when there is little /no symptom). The flares may last a few days or longer.

RA symptoms may worsen over time. But with prompt treatment, the disease is manageable and patient can have an average expected lifespan.

More flare-ups you have, the greater the chance of developing the complications from the disease. Therefore, the goal of RA treatment is to make the disease go into remission, as noted before!

RA can also cause symptoms that have nothing to do with your joint. Remember that the effect of this inflammatory arthritis is systemic! For examples; you may also have fever, appetite loss, unintentional weight loss, and a general feeling of being ill – as well as difficulty breathing, chest pain, tingling /numbness, and anemia.

Poorly-controlled RA can cause dangerous complications, which could be life-threatening. Some of these complications include:

  1. Joint damage, leading to a significant loss of function in the affected joint.
  2. Osteoporosis, bone fractures.
  3. Widespread inflammation, meaning RA can also cause inflammation in other parts of the body. Depending on where the inflammation occurs, it can lead to lung problem, skin problem, inflammation of blood vessels (vasculitis), heart disease, and Sjogren’s syndrome.
  4. RA and some of its treatments can cause increased risk of infections.
  5. Increased risk of lymphoma, a group of blood cancers affecting the lymph system.
Citations /references:

  1. https://medlineplus.gov/autoimmunediseases.html
  2. http://www.healthline.com/health/rheumatoid-arthritis-early-signs-and-symptoms

.

Please Leave a Few Words

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *