What Are the Symptoms of Rheumatoid Arthritis?
Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) symptoms are almost always in your joints. The inflammation it causes often leads to these three hallmark symptoms:
Pain. Inflammation inside a joint makes it hurt whether you’re moving it or not. Over time, it causes damage and pain.
Swelling. Fluid in the joint makes it puffy and tender.
Tenderness. It hurts when you move or push on a joint.
Other RA symptoms include:
Stiffness. The joint is harder to use and doesn’t move as well as it should. It’s especially common in the morning. Many people with other forms of arthritis also have stiff joints in the morning, but for people with RA, it may take more than an hour (sometimes several hours) before their joints feel loose.
Redness and warmth. The joints may be warm and have color changes related to the inflammation.
RA symptoms can vary among people who have this long-term disease. You may feel it in different places and to different degrees. Some people have long periods with few or no symptoms, while others go through months of intensified symptoms, known as a flare. For some people, RA gets worse quickly, while it can move more slowly for others.
Most people have lasting problems with episodes of more severe disease. However, the overall picture is changing with newer and earlier treatment options, resulting in more and more people having low disease activity or even remission.
Juvenile rheumatoid arthritis symptoms
Juvenile rheumatoid arthritis, also called juvenile idiopathic arthritis, is the most common type in kids. The symptoms of it are similar to RA in adults.
Osteoarthritis vs. rheumatoid arthritis symptoms
Both types of arthritis can cause pain, stiffness, swelling, and tenderness in your joints. If you have osteoarthritis, you may also have:
- Trouble moving your joint fully
- A feeling that your joint is grating, perhaps with popping or crackling sounds
- Bits of bone that feel like hard lumps around your joint
Early Signs of Rheumatoid Arthritis
You’ll likely notice tenderness or pain in small joints. This may be in your fingers or toes. You may also notice pain in a bigger joint, such as your knee or shoulder. At first, it may be subtle, and you may it easy to ignore. But it’s a good idea to get checked out if you think you may have signs of RA. The sooner you can get treated, the better off you’ll be since the disease can cause permanent damage to your joints over time.
Rheumatoid Arthritis Joints
RA symptoms usually start in your hands. Other commonly affected areas on your body are:
- Elbows
- Wrists
- The knuckle where each finger meets your hand, known as the metacarpophalangeal (MCP) joint
- The first joint in your fingers, known as the proximal interphalangeal (PIP) joint
- Ankle
But RA symptoms can appear anywhere on your body, including:
- Toes
- Hips
- Jaw
- Knees
- Neck
- Shoulders
- Finger joint closest to the thumbnail
Your symptoms are usually symmetrical, as they show up in the same joints on both sides of your body.
It doesn’t happen often, but RA can also affect joints in your voice box called the cricoarytenoid joints. It can make your voice hoarse. Rarely, you may lose your voice.
Whole-Body Effects of Rheumatoid Arthritis Symptoms
RA symptoms can also go beyond your joints. You could feel:
- Fatigue
- Muscle aches
- Poor appetite
- A general feeling of sickness (your doctor may call this malaise)
- Depression
Extreme fatigue could be a sign of anemia, which refers to a lack of healthy red blood cells. Your doctor will test you for anemia as part of your RA diagnosis.
Depression could also cause some of these symptoms. A long-term disease such as RA can be challenging to live with. Talk to your doctor if you feel sad or down.