Symptoms for Rheumatoid Arthritis

Symptoms for rheumatoid arthritis are often reflected by feelings of pain, joint stiffness, inflammation and swelling in your joints. This chronic disease is caused by the normal response of your body to infections, injury, wounds, or foreign objects.

Rheumatoid arthritis symptoms are not only felt on the main joints but can also include some of your smaller joints, including those of the writs, hands, feet, ankles, knees, and elbows.

In addition, symptoms for rheumatoid arthritis also extend to complications associated with this disease, as the inflammation can affect your internal organs and other systems of the body. Treatment generally consists of controlling the inflammation to prevent damage to joints or tissues.

Thus, if you have rheumatoid arthritis, your ability to function at the normal level can be greatly impaired. Normal, routine activities such as walking, dressing, cooking, cleaning, working, and even using the restroom can become difficult to achieve. As the condition worsens, many individuals with rheumatoid arthritis find that they can no longer to work. In many cases, the total inability to function can occur as early as ten years after your first detection of rheumatoid arthritis symptoms.

What distinguishes rheumatoid arthritis from other forms of arthritis? Rheumatoid arthritis is unique because it is classified as an autoimmune disease.

This means that your own immune system is actually responsible for attacking and damaging its own cells and tissues that it normally protects. This happens when an individual's immune system produces unique chemicals and cells that are released into the blood stream. These cells then begin to attack body tissues, causing irreversible damage. When your tissues are being attacked, your body responds by producing inflammation and abnormal growth in the synovium. The synovium is the special membrane that lines each joint.

The process whereby the synovium becomes inflamed is referred to as synovitis. Synovitius is one of the primary distinguishing features of rheumatoid arthritis. Synovitis is responsible for your rheumatoid arthritis symptoms. When synovitis continues to expand around the joint, it threatens the function of the surrounding tissues, joint, and cartilage. Ligaments, nerves, tendons, and blood vessels may all be adversely affected.

It is not surprisingly that many with symptoms for rheumatoid arthritis experience a shorter life expectancy than the general public. The disease itself is not inherently fatal. But since rheumatoid arthritis is essentially an autoimmune disease, many vital tissues or organs can be affected throughout the course of the disease.

Early detection of all health ailment is key to treatment and recovery. Thus, it is vital that you recognize the common symptoms for rheumatoid arthritis. When you experience pain in your joints, it is best to consult a doctor. Treatment process can involve occupational therapy, physical exercises and supplementation to prevent the disease from deteriorating. There are also new treatments being developed that can help rheumatoid arthritis sufferers recover faster.