What is Rheumatoid Arthritis?

It is an inflammatory autoimmune disorder. In simple language, body cells itself act against other body cells due to inherent unique genetic makeup, which, when exposed to external stimuli or factors, leads to chronic inflammatory state. This leads to specific pathology in all organs in the body, with joint symptoms being the most prominent visible manifestation if the same. 

Rheumatoid Arthritis Symptoms

Symptoms of Rheumatoid arthritis are

• Early morning stiffness
• Involvement of multiple small joints of hand and feet with pain and stiffness in early stages. 
• Advanced disease may lead to deformities of the hands ( swan neck and boutonnière deformity), bowlegs, and knock knees, and may cause hip, ankle, and feet deformities. 
• Patients may be unable to squat, sit cross legged and simple walk may lead to excruciating pain in advanced stages of the disease.
• Chronic pain, stiffness and hyperinflammation leads to osteoporosis ( weakness ) of bones and the tendency to fracture. 

The best thing to do is to seek medical help if you have the above symptoms. Orthopaedic surgeons prescribe specific blood tests which are used to diagnose rheumatoid Arthritis. Once diagnosed, the patient is kept on medicines which suppress harmful exaggerated inflammatory states. The medicines are to be taken for a long period of time. Patients should be well aware of the long-term need for medications for good compliance. Long-term medications are needed to prevent joint complications such as arthritis, which require surgery mostly in the form of replacement. 

Remaining physically active is another aspect which is often missed. Active lifestyle leads to endorphin release, which keeps mood elevated and prevents disuse osteoporosis.

Experiencing early morning stiffness, pain in your hands and feet, or difficulty moving? These could be signs of rheumatoid arthritis (RA).