Early
and Common Rheumatoid Arthritis Symptom List:
Joints on both sides of the body affected.
Pain and swelling that developed in just a few weeks or
months.
Major fatigue.
Swollen, red, and warm joints.
Fever
Unexplained weight loss.
Stiff joints in the mornings.
General feeling of malaise.
While many of these common symptoms can indicate
osteoarthritis, the most common indicator of rheumatoid
arthritis is affliction of the same joint on both sides
of the body at the same time. It is usual that this
symmetrical, bilateral symptom pattern is an indicator
to the doctor of a case of rheumatoid arthritis rather
than osteoarthritis.
Rheumatoid arthritis, or RA, is considered an autoimmune
disease which affects only 1 to 2 percent of the
population. However, it is primarily a woman’s disease
as three times as many women suffer from RA than men.
Rheumatoid arthritis afflicts many joints in the body at
the same time. It also causes damage to tissue and
organs throughout the body. RA affects the whole body
because of the chronic inflammation.
If
the progression of rheumatoid arthritis symptoms is
unchecked, joint range of motion can be severely
impaired due to the excess fibrous tissue the body
produces under these conditions. The tissues surrounding
the joints usually are inflamed which further damages
the joints.
Early treatment of rheumatoid arthritis has been shown
to improve function and stop damage. Optimal treatment
of rheumatoid arthritis involves a combination of
medication (prescription and natural alternatives like
Arthritin), rest, exercise, joint care, stress reduction
and healthful diet.
Eliminate
Rheumatoid Arthritis Pain Immediately
The Early Rheumatoid Arthritis Symptom:
Is
it chronic fatigue syndrome? Is it lupus? Is it
fibromyalgia? It isn’t easy to diagnose rheumatoid
arthritis based on the early symptom. Vague,
non-specific symptoms characterize this disease. They
are the kinds of symptoms that are common to a number of
other disorders - i.e., fatigue, loss of appetite, and
weight loss. Rheumatoid arthritis sufferers may
experience early morning stiffness which gets better as
they get up, start moving around and the day progresses.
Any strenuous activity, like a jog in the park, results
in stiffness. And….as the condition progresses, the
periods of stiffness last longer and longer.
The ankles, knees, toes, fingers and wrists become
inflamed, swollen, red and painful. The telltale
bilateral joint involvement usually is present (e.g., in
the right and left ankles).
While the tips of the fingers are affected with
osteoarthritis, with rheumatoid arthritis they aren’t.
Rheumatoid nodules, which are collections of
inflammatory cells, form and are found in tissues
throughout the body. Approximately 20 percent of
patients develop rheumatoid nodules. In a period of
months or over many years, the joints become deformed.
Range of motion in the affected areas becomes very
limited.
Get Rid of
Rheumatoid Arthritis Pain for Good
Early symptom diagnoses of rheumatoid arthritis is
difficult, because the symptoms go in and out of
remission. Therefore, physicians rely on various
laboratory tests to confirm a diagnosis. One useful test
checks for the presence of abnormal protein in the
blood. About 85 percent of RA sufferers have this
abnormality present. However, this test isn’t always
definitive since abnormal proteins are found in persons
with autoimmune and a whole list of other disorders.
Another test, and usually the first, is to take a small
sample of synovial fluid from the affected joint. The
presence of high white blood cells would indicate the
body’s anti-inflammatory response. X-rays in patients
who have had continuing symptoms for six months or more
also are useful. In the later stages of rheumatoid
arthritis, x-rays will show bony erosions and diminished
space between the joints.
The good news of rheumatoid arthritis is the remission
rate. Approximately 10 percent of patients diagnosed
with RA experience complete remission within one year.
Another 40 to 65 percent go into remission within two
years. For those patients, the symptoms usually are mild
and the rheumatoid factors are low.
Now the bad news. For people with rheumatoid arthritis
for more than two years, the prognosis isn’t good. Joint
deformity is much higher and life expectancy is
lowered,. The disease can affect the intestines, eyes,
heart and lungs and cause serious damage.
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