Does rheumatoid arthritis always cause visible swelling in the fingers?
November 25th, 2009 | by admin |
JoeBD12 asked:
I’ve heard that rheumatoid arthritis almost always starts in the fingers and causing visible swelling and redness. In terms of fingers, is it possible for a person with RA to just have stiffness and pain in the fingers with little to no swelling? Also, how often do people with Juvenile RA recover?
I’ve heard that rheumatoid arthritis almost always starts in the fingers and causing visible swelling and redness. In terms of fingers, is it possible for a person with RA to just have stiffness and pain in the fingers with little to no swelling? Also, how often do people with Juvenile RA recover?
One Response to “Does rheumatoid arthritis always cause visible swelling in the fingers?”
By inzanium on Nov 26, 2009 | Reply
Usually there’s some visible swelling in the joints, but it can definitely be subtle. Rheumatoid arthritis affects the joint at the knuckles, and the the middle joint in the finger, but not the joint at the tip of the finger. The typical pattern of stiffness is in the morning, taking an hour+ and getting up and moving to get rid of it
There are effective treatments at all ages. These include methotrexate, plaquenil, imuran, steroids, and injectable biologic medications. These can cause remission in some patients, and in those without complete recovery there is a definite increase in quality of life. It also slows the progression of the disease and reduces the need for future surgery. That being said, it is a bumpy course and has its ups and downs.