Rheumatoid Arthritis Symptoms

Immune System Deficiencies and Joint Inflammation

Feb 18, 2007 Cindy Finnegan

Rheumatoid arthritis is a disease that causes your immune system to attack your body and causes pain and inflammation in your joints. Read on for symptoms and treatment.

What is Rheumatoid Arthritis?

Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) is an immune disorder that attacks other parts of your body causing pain and inflammation in your joints that can also affect your internal organs, eyes, lungs and heart. Joints often affected are fingers, wrists, elbows, neck, shoulders, jaw, feet, ankles, knees and hips.

In 20% of rheumatoid cases rheumatoid nodules develop under the skin on boney areas like the elbows. Tear glands and salivary glands can become inflamed causing dry mouth and eyes. Occasionally inflammation of the membranes around the heart and lungs or inflammation of the lung tissues itself can occur.

Rarely does inflammation of the blood vessels occur affecting the skin, nerves and other organs. One percent of Americans and Canadians have rheumatoid arthritis. The disease usually strikes between the ages of 25 and 50 and attacks more women than men. The cause of RA is still unknown.

Symptoms

Early symptoms of Rheumatoid Arthritis include morning stiffness, pain and inflammation in joints often starting in the hands and/or feet (usually symmetrical), a low-grade fever, loss of weight and loss of motion in affected joints.

I have the symptoms, what should I do?

If you suspect you might have Rheumatoid Arthritis see your doctor. Your doctor can arrange for you to see a Rheumatologist, a specialist trained to diagnose and treat problems with joints, muscles and bones. You most likely will be sent for blood tests to check your erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR or sed rate) and RA factor.

The ESR test detects and monitors the amount of inflammation in the body. The RA Factor is the amount of antibodies present, the lower the count the better it is. Also, x-rays may be taken to compare joint damage over time. It is a good idea to contact your local arthritis clinic for further information and support, go to The Arthritis Society web page. They can help you arrange for hand/foot therapy, teach you range of motion exercises and give you resting splints.

There is no cure for Rheumatoid Arthritis. This is why it is so important to be diagnosed in the early stages so that you can receive the treatment needed and continue the therapy required to stay as healthy and physically active as possible; slowing or preventing any severe damage to your joints caused by this disease.

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