Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic disease. The recurrence of the disease has affected each RA patient to varying degrees.
Some patients have a long remission period and RA activity is not active, so there are few or no symptoms of RA during this period. However, those patients in the active period of RA will continue to have more serious discomfort symptoms.
Rheumatoid arthritis can affect different parts of the body, most often in joints. At the same time, arthritis also develops with the occurrence of the disease. Inflammation is the body’s natural response to infection or other threats, but RA is a non-specific inflammatory reaction.
Rheumatoid arthritis and arthritis
Arthritis is a characteristic of rheumatoid arthritis. It includes the following symptoms:
- Stiffness: Obstruction of joint movement, Movement is restricted. Among them, [morning stiffness] is one of the landmark symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis. Unlike other arthritis patients’ morning joint stiffness, Morning stiffness usually lasts for more than an hour in patients with rheumatoid arthritis. Swelling: Swelling of the joint caused by fluid accumulation in the joint cavity, which eventually leads to stiffness of the joint. Pain: Inflammation in the joint cavity makes it sensitive and fragile. Persistent arthritis causes joint damage, causing pain. Red and hot: The skin at the joint will be redder and hotter than the surrounding skin.
Involved joint
Although any joint can suffer from rheumatoid arthritis, such as knee joint, wrist joint, neck joint, shoulder joint, elbow joint and even mandibular joint, hand joint is most vulnerable. Symptoms usually appear symmetrically, that is, in the same parts on both sides of the body.
Systemic Manifestations of Rheumatoid Arthritis
1. RA can affect many parts of the body and lead to a series of symptoms:
- Loss of appetite, resulting in weight loss and muscle soreness.
The above symptoms are similar to those of influenza. Although the discomfort symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis are not as severe as those of influenza patients, they last longer.
2. It is common for patients with moderate to severe rheumatoid arthritis to suffer from multiple parts of the body:
- Rheumatoid nodules: A subcutaneous mass, Usually occurs in the elbow joint, Sometimes accompanied by pain. Pulmonary involvement: Lung or pleural involvement is common, But usually there are no symptoms. If shortness of breath occurs, Drugs should be given in time to control lung inflammation. Rheumatoid arthritis can even affect laryngeal joints (cricoarytenoid joints). Cause hoarseness. Rheumatoid arthritis can cause pericarditis, However, there are usually no symptoms. As the disease progresses, symptoms develop, such as dyspnea or chest pain. In addition, patients with rheumatoid arthritis are more likely to cause cardiovascular obstruction, which leads to chest pain and heart failure. Less than 5% of patients with rheumatoid arthritis will suffer from eye involvement, red eyes, pain or dryness.
When you have symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis, early active treatment can prevent the symptoms from worsening, thus preventing the progress of rheumatoid arthritis.