Rheumatoid - roo·muh·toyd
Arthritis - ar-thry-tus
Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic inflammatory disorder that can affect your joints, tissues, and organs.
Symptoms of AiArthritis Diseases Regardless of Diagnosis
Reference: Early Symptoms of AiArthritis Study, AiArthritis, 2019.
Typically the joint pain will coincide with one or more “Auto” symptoms and start and stop suddenly - for no apparent reason (which is called a "flare"). Some people will experience all of the above symptoms, others only a few. If you have any of the arthritis features, and at least one of the “Auto” features, please consult your physician about a referral to a specialist.
Symptoms Often Associated with Rheumatoid Arthritis:
What fellow patients want you to know
Sometimes you may feel a locking feeling in the joints, like if you grab a hair brush or a cabinet handle - suddenly your fingers may stop moving while the rest of your hand continues in motion. This doesn't feel good.
Joints like your jaw can be affected. Also the vocal chords, called the cricoarytenoid joint (although this is not common)
You CAN HAVE RA without positive blood work! You may hear some patients say they have "seronegative RA" or "seropositive RA". This is referring to their blood work. If a patient has "seronegative", it means they were diagnosed with RA and had no positive markers (inflammation, RF +, etc.) in their blood (normal bloodwork).
A lot of patients choose not to use the word "arthritis" because they feel that's the only word others hear and think it's the same as the most common type of arthritis, osteoarthritis - caused by aging, wear and tear, overuse. While there has been movements in the past to try and change the name, there are many reasons why this is not likely to happen.
There’s no single definitive test that can confirm a diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis, so rheumatologists look at a combination of physical exam, blood tests, and imaging (MRI), along with a family history of autoimmune or autoinflammatory disease. They will see if the arthritis is in more than one location and if it is chronic (has lasted for more than 6 weeks continuously or has come and go during that time). The doctor will look closely at the joints to see if there is any swelling, redness, or warmth (although this isn't required for diagnosis - it is more to see the severity). Most rheumatologists today will also consider if you are feeling other common symptoms
(see Common Symptoms in All AiArthritis Diseases),
which can help differentiate RA from osteoarthritis. Blood tests and biomarkers, like a positive Rheumatoid Factor (RF+) and inflammation markers (erythrocyte sedimentation rate/ESR and C-reactive protein/CRP) may be high - especially in more aggressive disease -
but positive blood results are NOT required to obtain an RA diagnosis!
In an effort to ensure this page has the most accurate and up-to-date information, this page is currently awaiting medical review. Some information is subject to change.
Page Last Updated: 2/1/2023
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