What is the Rheumatoid Arthritis Symptoms? - Plus 6 Sad Facts

These are the 6 sad facts about Rheumatoid Arthritis:

• 2.1 million Americans are infected by this disease.
• It is an autoimmune disease.
• Women are 3 times more likely to be affected than men.
• Individuals aged between 25-50 years are most susceptible to developing the disease, although it can affect anyone of any age.
• Although people can develop rheumatoid arthritis gradually, some can experience sudden attacks of flu symptoms when they first catch it.
• It can damage the organs of your body, not just the joints.

And once your joints have inflammation, joint deformities soon follow. Rheumatoid arthritis is a very random disease when it damages organs or other parts of the body. It is also known to be a “systemic disease”, meaning it can affect parts of the body simultaneously. 

Let’s examine the sequence of events with regard to rheumatoid arthritis...

1. The particular joints swell up (usually of the knees and hands), because the body over-produces the natural lubricating fluids. Redness, stiffness, and pain are sure to follow.
2. The rapid growth and division of cells around the joints adds to the pain. The synovial membrane then thickens.
3. The enzyme released by the inflamed cells begins dissolving bone and cartilage. This ends up in joint deformities which were the result of joints being out of alignment.

The root cause of rheumatoid arthritis is still to be discovered. However, it is a fact that genetics comes into play with this disease, since someone who has a family member who is diagnosed with rheumatoidarthritis tends to pick up the same disease... but not always.

Signs and symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis

So you want to know what the signs and symptoms are so you can be sure you have rheumatoid arthritis. Not a problem. Signs and symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis vary from person to person, but here are some common symptoms:

• Swelling, redness, stiffness, and pain on joints
• Dry mouth and eyes
• Deformed joints
• Mild colds and fevers
• Decreased appetite and energy
• Bodily weakness

Now the above examples were just symptoms, those symptoms could be the result of some other illness. So here are the things that confirm you have rheumatoid arthritis:

• You had normal arthritis for longer than 2 months
• Your joints show to be eroded on X-rays
• You have joint stiffness after waking up
• You have nodules on the skin
• You had a positive blood test for the Rheumatoid Factor

So watch out for those signs...