Symptoms and signs of rheumatoid arthritis may include:
Tender, warm, swollen joints
Joint rigidity that's generally worse in the mornings and after inactivity
Early rheumatoid arthritis has a tendency to affect your smaller joints first - particularly the joints that attach your hands and your fingers together and your toes to your own feet.
Symptoms frequently disperse to the wrists, knees, ankles, elbows, hips and shoulders, as the disease progresses. Generally, symptoms occur in exactly the same joints on both sides of the body.
About 40 percent of the individuals who have rheumatoid arthritis additionally experience signs and symptoms which don't include the joints. Rheumatoid arthritis can change many nonjoint arrangements, including:
Skin
Eyes
Lungs
Heart
Kidneys
Salivary glands
Nerve tissue
Bone marrow
Blood vessels
Rheumatoid arthritis signs and symptoms can vary in severity and may come and go. Periods of increased disease process, called flares, switch with periods of relative remission — when the swelling and pain fade or disappear. Rheumatoid arthritis can cause joints and shift out of place.
Causes
The resultant inflammation thickens the synovium, which can eventually destroy the cartilage and bone within the joint.
The tendons and ligaments that hold the joint together weaken and stretch. Gradually, the joint loses its shape and alignment
Risk factors
Gender - Women are more likely than men to develop rheumatoid arthritis.
Age - Rheumatoid arthritis can occur at any age, but it most commonly begins between the ages of 40 and 60.
Family history. You may have an increased danger of the disorder, if a part of your family has rheumatoid arthritis.
Smoking - Cigarette smoking increases your risk of developing rheumatoid arthritis, particularly if you might have a genetic predisposition for developing the disease. Smoking also seems to be correlated with greater disease severity.
Environmental exposures - Although doubtful and ill understood, some exposures such as asbestos or silica may increase the danger for developing rheumatoid arthritis.
Obesity - People that are overweight or obese seem to be at somewhat higher risk of developing rheumatoid arthritis, particularly in girls diagnosed with the disorder when they were younger or 55.
Complications
Your risk of growing increases:
Osteoporosis - Rheumatoid arthritis along with some medicines used for treating rheumatoid arthritis, can increase your risk of osteoporosis — a condition that weakens your bones and makes them more prone to fracture.
Rheumatoid nodules - These firm bulges of tissue most generally form around pressure points, like the elbows. Nevertheless, these nodules can form anywhere in the body, including the lungs.
Dry eyes and mouth - Individuals who have rheumatoid arthritis are much more likely to experience a disorder that reduces the amount of moisture in mouth and your eyes, Sjogren's syndrome.
Illnesses. Many of the medications used to combat rheumatoid arthritis and the disease itself can impair the immune system, leading to increased illnesses.
Unusual body composition - The proportion of fat in comparison with lean mass is frequently higher in individuals who have rheumatoid arthritis, even in those who have a normal body mass index (BMI).
Carpal tunnel syndrome - If rheumatoid arthritis affects your wrists, the inflammation can compress the nerve that serves most of your hand and fingers.
Heart problems - Rheumatoid arthritis can raise your risk of inflammation and arteries that are blocked, along with hardened.
Lung disorder - People who have rheumatoid arthritis have a heightened risk of scarring and inflammation of the lung tissues, which may lead to progressive shortness of breath.