Can Rheumatoid Arthritis Cause Dizziness?
Many times, dizziness can be a vague symptom. Vague means it can be triggered by lots of different causes. Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a systemic disorder. Systemic means it is not only about arthritis (joint disease), but also can targets other parts of the body and cause other symptoms that have nothing to do with the joint. Can it cause dizziness, too?
Understanding dizziness in general
It is a common symptom, and the good news it is usually not a sign of serious condition. However, if it gets worse or lasts longer than usual – it should not be ignored!
What actually is it?
It is one of most common reasons for many people to visit their doctors, especially if it is followed with other discomfort symptoms such as fatigue and fever. The treatment is dependent on the reason or underlying condition behind the problem.
The word ‘dizziness’ can describe different things. While commonly it is used to describe lightheaded (feeling of faintness), some people use it for vertigo (a condition of when your surroundings are spinning), heavy headedness, or even disequilibrium (loss of balance).
It is a common side effect of many medications. It is relatively more common in those aged older than 65, because elderly people tend to have health conditions and take medications that can trigger dizziness.
Your personal history can have an effect, too. If you have experience this symptom before, you tend to have it in the future!
Causes
Sometime, finding the cause of this symptom is not easy. Because again, it can be quite vague and comes with a wide range of factors!
A number of different health conditions can lead to dizziness. But generally, it is more likely to occur if something goes awry with your sensory systems.
If one or some of the following sensory systems are affected, you may experience dizziness:
- Inner ear. It is so crucial to help your body in detecting back-&forth motion and gravity.
- Eyes, which is so important to help direct where your body is in space and how it should move.
- Sensory nerves. They play a key role in delivering signals about your body positions and movements to the brain!
Specific triggers before the symptom occurs (such as positions or activities prior to the symptom), duration (how long it lasts), and any additional symptoms can help pinpoint the cause.
What happen if you ignore it?
It could carry the risk of injuring yourself. For instance, when it flares and you insist to continue your daily routines, you could fall and increase the chance of having an accident!
Since many times it is only a minor symptom, it usually improves its own way after you take a rest for a couple of days.
But if there is an underlying condition that triggers your dizziness, this should be checked by your doctor! There is a chance for you to have long-term consequence if an underlying condition that may be triggering your dizziness is left untreated.
In general, having recurrent, unexplained, or severe dizziness is something should not be ignored. For this scenario, it’s much better to see your doctor!
Can RA cause dizziness, why and how?
The systemic inflammation of RA can attack other parts of the body, not only the joint. That’s why sometime this arthritis can cause symptoms that have nothing to do with the joint, as noted before! These may include weight loss, fever, decreased appetite, and sweating.
Some sufferers find that they also experience fatigue or lack of energy during flare-up. How about dizziness?
Joint pain, swelling, and stiffness are the primary symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis. And dizziness is not the common symptom – but there is a chance for sufferers to experience this symptom, too! See more the symptoms in here!
The following are some possible answers of why people with RA can experience dizziness:
