Rheumatoid arthritis or what is commonly mentioned as RA is an autoimmune condition, which occurs when our body’s immune system mistakenly acts against its own tissues and joints. As a result, it will lead to pain and inflammation.
This is why it’s important to identify the disease at the early stages and get treated adequately. If left untreated, you will have to see yourself at the risk of developing several complications. Read the following article to know the early signs and symptoms of RA.
Before noticing any other sign, an individual with rheumatoid arthritis will feel extremely tired. He/she will experience a lack of energy and feel depressed. The feelings of fatigue may also impact his/her day-to-day activities, sexual life, relationships, and productivity. Fatigue may indicate that your body is reacting to the inflammation in your joints.
Inflammation linked to rheumatoid arthritis can cause you to feel slightly feverish. You may have a raised temperature, which may accompany fatigue. These signs will usually be followed by the noticeable effects on your joints.
Another warning sign of rheumatoid arthritis is the unexplained loss of weight. This is possibly due to the indirect effect of inflammation in your joints. When you are feeling fatigued and feverish, you may lose your appetite, which can cause you to lose weight.
Joint pain that is felt in the fingers, wrists, and/or feet is a possible sign of rheumatoid arthritis. This may be due to the inflammation, which will make the lining of the joints thicker and also cause the synthesis of additional joint fluid. These will put pressure on the capsule that encircles the joint and inflames the nerve endings, thus leading to pain.
A joint tenderness that is felt in the hands and feet is a possible early sign of rheumatoid arthritis. In your hands, you can see that the joint in the middle and at the base of your fingers are tender when pressed and moved; and in your feet, you can see that the base of your toes is tender.
Joints that are swollen in the hands and feet are a sign of rheumatoid arthritis. This symptom will be more apparent as the disease progresses. However, subtle swelling is an early sign.
Inflammation in your joints may cause redness. Also, discoloration of the skin surrounding the joints in your hands and/or feet is an early sign of rheumatoid arthritis.
Again, inflammation will cause warmth and this sign is known to present before redness and swelling occur.
Numbness and tingling that affect the hands and/or feet are the early signs of rheumatoid arthritis. These symptoms are due to the inflammation that can lead to nerve compression, resulting in the loss sensation.
In the initial stages of rheumatoid arthritis, you can notice you are having trouble bending your wrist. Over time, the damage to your joints may affect ligaments and tendons, thus making it harder for you to bend and straighten them.
Note that limping can be caused by several diseases of the nerves, muscles, and/or bones of the lower body. But, limping is frequently noted in the people with rheumatoid arthritis that affects the hip, knee, ankle, or feet. As it sounds obvious, pain, a decreased range of motion, and joint swelling all can cause you to have a noticeable limp.
Joint deformities can be caused by RA. It’s because the untreated inflammation can lead to erosion of cartilage and bone and ligament loosening. Therefore, early identification and treatment of RA are critical to prevent joint deformities.
The chronic inflammation related to RA can cause the bone marrow to reduce the supply of RBCs into the bloodstream. Thus, it may lead to anemia.
While the above-mentioned early signs and symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis can help you to identify the disease at the earliest and get treated adequately, there are several assisted tools, such as cloth fasteners, adaptive utensils, reachers, wash mitt, small appliances, key holders, and many more that can help keep up your daily activities like a normal individual. While it’s important to get your RA treated as early as possible to avoid the risks of complications, it’s equally important to start living with the condition. It will be possible only if you could stay on the top of the condition, symptoms, and potential signs. For it’s you who knows your body better than anybody else!
