Rheumatoid arthritis signs and symptoms may vary in severity and may even come and go. Periods of increased disease activity, called flares, alternate with periods of relative remission — when the swelling and pain fade or disappear. Over time, rheumatoid arthritis can cause joints to deform and shift out of place.
Rheumatoid arthritis is a condition characterized by joint inflammation. It commonly affects the joints of the hands, fingers, feet, and knees. Early signs of RA include joint problems such as pain, tenderness, swelling, warmth, redness, and stiffness.
The main symptoms of arthritis are joint pain and stiffness, which typically worsen with age. The most common types of arthritis are osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis. Osteoarthritis causes cartilage — the hard, slippery tissue that covers the ends of bones where they form a joint — to break down. Rheumatoid arthritis is a disease in which your immune system attacks the tissues of the body.
There are a few other RA symptoms that affect more than just your joints. These include loss of appetite, dry eyes and mouth (caused by a related symptom, Sjogren’s syndrome), and rheumatoid nodules.
Rheumatoid arthritis, or RA, is an autoimmune and inflammatory disease, which means that your immune system attacks healthy cells in your body by mistake, causing inflammation (painful swelling) in the affected parts of the body. RA mainly attacks the joints, usually many joints at once. RA commonly affects joints in the hands, wrists, and knees.
Rheumatoid arthritis is an inflammatory autoimmune condition that can affect the joints and organs. Learn about the four most common warning signs. Gout is another example of arthritis, which is caused by the accumulation of uric acid crystals in joints. Learn more about how respiratory problems are one of the most serious and common complications of rheumatoid arthritis.
For more detailed information on rheumatoid arthritis, you can visit the following resources:
Mayo Clinic,
Verywell Health,
Healthline, and
CDC.
