Symptoms of Rheumatoid Arthritis
by Beth G. Hodges, MD

Symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis are many, and not always limited to the joints themselves. Pain, swelling, stiffness, warmth, and redness of the involved joints is the best known manifestation of the disease, but other symptoms occur as well.

The disease is characterized by flares and remissions, and during a flare, the patient can experience a number of systemic symptoms as well. Fatigue and decreased energy are common. Loss of normal appetite is a frequent symptom. Patients can even experience low grade fevers.

Younger sufferers of rheumatoid arthritis tend to experience more symptoms in distal joints, such as hands, wrists, ankles, and feet. Older sufferers experience more symptoms in proximal joints, such as shoulder and hips. The knees are a common site of flares for all sufferers.

Organs other than joints can involve symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis as well. The lining of the lung can become inflamed, a condition called pleuritis.

The sac containing the heart can also become inflamed in rheumatoid arthritis. This is called pericarditis. Blood vessels that become inflamed are characterized as vasculitis. Even the bone marrow can be affected, depressing normal production of new red blood cells. This phenomenon results in anemia, or lack of normal number of red blood cells.

Depression, while not a direct symptom of rheumatoid arthritis, is common in sufferers due to the day to day toll the disease takes on their lives.

Rheumatoid arthritis is commonly misunderstood as a disease restricted to the joints, and while it certainly can be very destructive to the joints, the disease can also affect other organs, such as the lungs, the heart, the blood vessels, and the bone marrow. The disease causes significant debility not just from joint pain, but also from the associated fatigue, loss of appetite, fevers, and general loss of well-being.

Published - October, 2009