RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS
SYMPTOMS |
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RA
may develop slowly over weeks and months or it may present quickly.
The severity of the disease is also very variable. In 20 percent of
cases RA is mild in nature, with few joints involved and there is
little residual damage to joints. However, in about 10 percent of
cases the disease is very severe, affecting many joints and causing
marked deformity. The majority of cases chart an intermediate course.
Early in the disease, symptoms may include:
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Pain,
swelling and stiffness in the joints; |
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Joints are
tender to touch; |
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Reduced
mobility of the joint -initially due to pain and later to joint
deformity; |
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Morning
stiffness - the joints are stiff in the morning and this often
lasts more than hour; |
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Fatigue; |
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Loss of
appetite; |
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Weight loss; |
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Fever; |
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Swollen lymph
glands; |
Later
in the disease process, symptoms may include joint deformity:
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affected fingers and toes may be permanently bent (contractures); |
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hands and feet may curve outwards. |
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| RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS RELATED ITEMS |
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