Rheumatoid arthritis is a form of arthritis mostly affecting the joints of the wrists and fingers. It is an auto-immune disorder. It means that a patient’s body is the culprit here as its attacks the healthy cells leading to swelling and pain. There are no known causes and cure for this disease.
Women are three times at more risk of developing this disease than men. It onsets around the ages 25-55. But women mostly get affected with it in their 40s. It is rare among children below the age of 15 years and elderly people above the age of 80 years. The severe form of this disease is chronic which means it exists for a life time. However, in most of the cases, the disease exists for a short time and the symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis appear and perish alternatively.
Unfortunately the disease is progressive by nature. Every year, three cases per 10,000 people are found in the United States. It affects the daily life activities of the patients. 33 percent of the sufferers stop working because of the complications after 5 years of diagnosis. Nearly 50 percent of patients experience functional disability after suffering for 10 years. Smokers are four times higher at risk of getting this disease than non-smokers.
Symptoms of Rheumatoid Arthritis:
- Joint pain
- Stiffness in the morning
- Stiffness due to inactivity
- Swelling in joints
- Warm joints
- Tenderness
- Wrist arthritis
- Finger arthritis
- Ankle arthritis
- Foot arthritis
- Malaise
- Fatigue
- Weight loss
- Change in appetite
- Occasional fever
- Increase in pain in an episodic manner with remissions
- Mild fever bouts
- Tiredness
- Fatigue and malaise experienced especially in afternoon
- Dry mouth
- Dry eyes
- Pain in the neck
- Skin bumps as observed in 25 percent patients
Advanced and Rare Symptoms of Rheumatoid Arthritis:
- Osteoporosis or a bone disease which increases the risk of fractures
- Carpal tunnel syndrome or a condition involving compression of the carpal tunnel of hands causing pain
- Lymphoma or cancer in the lymph nodes, though very rare
- Thrombocytosis or high levels of platelets in the blood
- Fibrosis of the lungs or excess formation of tissues than the normal requirement
- Pleural effusions or accumulation of excess fluids in the lungs
- Renal amyloidosis of the kidney or abnormal deposition of amyloid proteins in tissues and organs
- Skin fragility
- Diffuse thinning or rice paper skin condition
- Sweet syndrome or a skin disease with sudden fever observed in people suffering from blood and immune system diseases.
- Erythema nodosum or inflamation of fat cells of the skin
- Palmar erythemaor reddening of palms as seen is 30 percents of this rheumatoid arthritis
- Lobular panniculitis or swelling of the fatty layers under the skin
- Atrophy or complete wasting of the body parts
- Pyoderma gangrenosum or a disease involving deep ulcers and chronic wounds in legs mostly
