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, 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.
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 and gout are both painful types of arthritis. Gout symptoms include intense pain, redness, stiffness, swelling, and warmth in your big toe or other joints. In gout, uric acid crystals cause inflammation. In rheumatoid arthritis, it’s your immune system that causes joint damage.
Summary: 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.
Rheumatoid arthritis is a disease that affects far more than your joints. Find out some of the common and rare symptoms and complications of RA.
RA: By the Numbers. According to a study conducted by the Rheumatoid Arthritis Support Network, the signs and symptoms of RA typically begin when someone reaches the age of 30, though it can take until a person is in their 60s to fully develop. Cigarette smoking can increase the risk of a person developing RA by as much as 2.4%.
Mayo Clinic
CDC
Healthline
Cleveland Clinic
Verywell Health
WebMD
Rheumatoid Arthritis Support Network
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