Symptoms Of Rheumatoid Arthritis

One of the first things you will probably experience with rheumatoid arthritis is swelling, stiffness and a dull ache in a pair of joints. In other words these symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis will appear not simply in a knee or elbow, but in both knees or both elbows. Most typically rheumatoid arthritis will appear in your shoulders, elbows, wrists, hands, hips, knees, ankles or feet.

Normally the symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis are mild at first and the condition creeps up on you slowly, spreading across your joints over time. This is not always the case however and just occasionally the condition can appear quite suddenly and several joints can become inflamed at the same time.

In most cases however sufferers will experience one or more of the following symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis during the early stages of the disease:

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  Rheumatoid Arthritis in the Hand

  Swelling or tightness in a joint, accompanied by redness, warmth and some degree of pain.
• Swelling in at least three joints which persists for at least six weeks.
• Joints which are affected in pairs such as both elbows or both knees.
• Stiffness or pain in a joint which last for an hour or more after getting up in the morning or after any extended period of inactivity.
• Rheumatoid nodules (pea like bumps beneath the skin) particularly on pressure points like the elbows and feet.
• Signs of joint erosion which will show up on an x-ray.
• General stiffness, soreness or aching.
• A general feeling of malaise.
• A loss of mobility.
• Bouts of mild fever and/or sweating.
• Weakness and fatigue, particularly during the early afternoon.
• Problems sleeping.
• Anemia.
• The presence of rheumatoid factor in a blood test. (Note: rheumatoid factor is a substance which is present in the blood of approximately eighty percent of all people who suffer from rheumatoid arthritis.)

Symptoms of Rheumatoid Arthritis – Getting A Diagnosis

There is no simple test for rheumatoid arthritis and your doctor will need to look at your medical history, carry out a physical examination, send you for an x-ray examination (to detect the presence of cartilage or bone loss), a blood test and fluid test for the joint(s) concerned (to detect infection or inflammation). In addition, if you have rheumatoid nodules your doctor will probably want to order a biopsy of these as well.

There are several blood tests which can help your doctor in making a diagnosis. These include:

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  Arthritis Blood Test

  Rheumatoid factor test. Rheumatoid factor is an antibody which is present in the blood of approximately eighty percent of those people who suffer from rheumatoid arthritis. Unfortunately, it is also present in the blood of people with other rheumatic diseases and a number of unrelated medical conditions and so this test is not definitive by itself.
• Erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR). The ESR test looks for the presence of inflammation in the body by measuring the rate at which red blood cells (which clump together during inflammation) settle out of the blood.
• Plasma viscosity (PV). The PV test again checks for inflammation in the body by measuring the stickiness of the blood which results from the presence of several inflammatory proteins.
• C-reactive protein (CR). The CR test once again measures inflammation by looking for the presence of one specific inflammatory protein.
• Red blood cell count (RBC). This is a simple test for anemia which is present in cases of systemic arthritis.

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Rheumatoid arthritis treatment