Understanding Rheumatoid Arthritis: Symptoms, Diagnosis, and Treatment

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic, systemic autoimmune disease primarily affecting the joints. Characterized by its insidious onset, RA often presents with symptoms like tender, warm, swollen joints, and stiffness that worsens in the mornings or after periods of inactivity. Patients may also experience fatigue, fever, and loss of appetite, with nonspecific systemic symptoms such as fatigue, malaise, and depression frequently preceding other symptoms by weeks or months. These can be indicators of ongoing disease activity, with fatigue being a particularly troubling aspect for many.

The disease is mediated by cytokines, chemokines, and metalloproteases, causing damage over time. Joint pain and tenderness typically occur during active phases of the disease, when inflammation irritates the joints. This differs from conditions like osteoarthritis, where pain arises from wear and tear.

Symptoms and signs of RA vary but commonly include pain or aching in multiple joints, stiffness, tenderness, and swelling in more than one joint. These symptoms can be clues to RA:

Persistent joint pain, tenderness, swelling, or stiffness lasting six weeks or longer.
Morning stiffness lasting 30 minutes or longer.
Multiple joints affected, often small joints (wrists, certain joints of the hands and feet), and typically the same joints on both sides of the body.

RA symptoms can fluctuate, with periods of worsening symptoms known as flares and times when symptoms improve, known as remission.

For a comprehensive understanding of RA, including its symptoms, diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment options, visit reliable sources like the Mayo Clinic [Mayo Clinic], Johns Hopkins Arthritis Center [Johns Hopkins], and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC]. More detailed clinical information can be found in medical resources like UpToDate [UpToDate].