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| Autoimmune Diseases: Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) | | This page was written by Shelley Ensz, and has not yet been medically edited. See Disclaimer. | | | |
| Symptoms and Complications of Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) |
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| Overview of Symptoms of Rheumatoid Arthritis |
| Symptoms of Rheumatoid Arthritis. The disease usually begins gradually with fatigue, morning stiffness (lasting more than one hour), widespread muscle aches, loss of appetite, and weakness. Eventually, joint pain appears. When the joint is not used for a while, it can become warm, tender, stiff, and swollen. Joint pain is often felt on both sides of the body, and may effect the wrist, knees, elbows, fingers, toes, ankle or neck. Medline Plus. |
| Rheumatoid arthritis can cause other problems in the body, such as vasculitis (inflammation of the blood vessels), osteoporosis (loss of bone density), lung disease, rheumatoid nodules (small bumps) under the skin, and blood disorders. Rheumatoid arthritis that begins with a high fever and other general symptoms is called Still's disease. Milton S. Hershey Medical Center, College of Medicine. |
| An Examination of Work Instability, Functional Impairment, and Disease Activity in Employed Patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis. Functional impairment and disease activity significantly and independently contributed to patient-perceived work instability risk. A. Mecado. J. Rheum. January 22, 2009. |
| Pilot study finds poorer outcomes for African-Americans with rheumatoid arthritis. Both disease activity and the resulting disabilities were worse in African-Americans. Further analysis showed that this was linked primarily to socio-economic status, not to race. Washingtom University in St. Louis. 07/11/05. |
| Cardiac Involvement |
| Hidden Cost of Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA): Estimating Cost of Comorbid Cardiovascular Disease (CVD) and Depression Among Patients with RA. A significant proportion (13.4%) of patients with prevalent RA have comorbid CVD and/or depression, significantly affecting annual healthcare costs. A. Joyce. J. Rheum. February 17, 2009. |
| The risk of myocardial infarction (MI) and pharmacologic and nonpharmacologic myocardial infarction predictors in rheumatoid arthritis (RA): A cohort and nested case-control analysis. MI in RA is associated with demographic and cardiovascular risk factors and corticosteroid use. Study data support the hypothesis that RA activity causes MI and that corticosteroids are primarily a marker of RA activity. (WileyInterscience) F. Wolfe. Arthritis & Rheumatism. August 29, 2008. |
| Heart failure among younger rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and Crohn's (CD) patients exposed to TNF-{alpha} antagonists. We found only a small number of presumed HF cases in a large population of relatively young RA and CD patients. Rheumatology 2007 46(11):1688-1693. (Also see: Medications and Crohn's Disease) |
| Eye Involvement |
| Prevalence, Risk, and Risk Factors for Oral and Ocular Dryness with Particular Emphasis on Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA). Dryness is increased in RA and is contributed to by severity and therapy. The combination of body pain and fatigue is the strongest clinical correlate of dryness, and is independent of diagnosis of Fibromyalgia. J Rheumatol First Release May 15 2008. |
| Fatigue |
| Fatigue is a reliable, sensitive and unique outcome measure in rheumatoid arthritis (RA). This study demonstrates that measures of fatigue are reliable and sensitive to change, and should be considered for inclusion as a core outcome measure in RA. P. Minnock. Rheumatology Advance Access. September 22 2009. |
| Exploratory Analysis of the Relationships between Aerobic Capacity and Self-Reported Fatigue in Patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA), Polymyositis (PM), and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS). This study confirms that patients with chronic, but stable RA, PM, or CFS are fatigued and have significantly decreased aerobic capacity. A. Weinstein. PM &R. July 2009. (Also see: PM and CFS) |
| Neuropathy |
| Ultrasonography shows increased cross-sectional area of the median nerve in patients with arthritis and carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS). Cross-sectional areas of the median nerves were significantly higher in the CTS patients compared with the rhematoid arthristis controls and healthy persons. No significant differences in cross-sectional areas were observed between the two control groups, or between the right and left hand in the control groups. Rheumatology 2006 45(5):584-588. (Also see: Carpal Tunnel Syndrome and Arthritis) |
| Renal Involvement |
| Uric acid (UA) is a strong independent predictor of renal dysfunction in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). UA is a strong correlate of renal dysfunction in RA patients. RA patients with elevated UA may require screening for renal dysfunction and appropriate management. D. Daoussis. Arthritis Research & Therapy 2009, 11:R116. July 24 2009. |
| Vascular Involvement |
| The Temporal Relationship of Raynaud's Phenomenon (RP) and Features of Connective Tissue Disease in Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA). Idiopathic RP may have a different clinical effect on RA than secondary RP; the latter is correlated with more severe RA. Sclerodactyly is associated with erosive arthritis and RP in RA. Janet E Pope. J Rheumatol First Release. Oct 1 2008. (Also see: Sclerodactyly, and Raynaud's) |
| Complications Due to Rheumatoid Arthritis |
| Depression in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients treated with anti-TNF is common and under-recognized in the rheumatology clinic. Patients with persistent depression tended to respond less well to anti-TNF, with smaller reductions in DAS28. Given that a significant reduction in DAS28 is a requirement for continuing therapy, recognition and appropriate management of depression may improve TNF effectiveness. Samantha L. Hider, PhD. Rheumatology. July 16, 2009. |
| Do Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) Patients Have a Higher Risk for Sleep Apnea? Patients with RA may be at a higher risk for sleep apnea compared to non-RA subjects. S. Reading. JRheum. July 31 2009. |
| Increased risk of adverse pregnancy outcomes in women with Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA): a nationwide population-based study. Women with RA had increased risk of low birthweight, small for gestational age babies, preeclampsia, and cesarean section, compared with unaffected women. H. Ching Lin. Ann Rheum Dis. April 29 2009. (Also see: Autoimmunity and Pregnancy) |
| Prevalence of Psychiatric Disorders in Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) Patients. The results showed high prevalence (63%) of psychiatric disorders in our patient sample. Depressive disorders prevailed in the group with very high proportion (87%). Stress events preceded the RA onset in 52% of patients. T.A. Lisitsyna. OP-0227. EULAR 2009. |
