Rheumatoid Arthritis: Symptoms
Although rheumatoid arthritis (RA) symptoms vary greatly from person to person, some symptoms are more common than others.
More common RA symptoms:
Joint pain. You may feel pain on both sides of your body; affected joints often include the fingers, wrists, elbows, shoulders, hips, knees, ankles, toes and neck
Morning stiffness. Your joints can become warm, tender and stiff when you haven't used them for as little as an hour; people with RA usually feel worse when they first wake up, and better as they begin to move around
Generalized weakness and discomfort. Many people also report flu-like symptoms, such as achiness and fatigue.
Fatigue. It may be caused by factors such as inflammation, overdoing routine activities, stress, depression, poor sleep and nutrition or lack of exercise.
Less common RA symptoms:
- Eye problems. Dry or inflamed eyes occur when RA impacts other organs.
- Lung issues
- Nerve pain
As your symptoms appear or subside, keep your doctor informed so that he or she can work with you to keep you as active and pain-free as possible.