10 Early Warning Signs of Rheumatoid Arthritis

Rheumatoid Arthritis

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is one of the most common types of inflammatory arthritis and can strike at any age, though it occurs most often in middle-aged women.

RA causes pain, swelling, and stiffness in joints, particularly the hands and feet, along with fatigue and fever.

In some cases, RA causes swelling in other organs such as the eyes, lungs, or heart. Rheumatoid arthritis can be difficult to diagnose due to its wide range of symptoms; however, 10 signs can help you determine if you might have this condition.

1) Weight loss

Oftentimes, rheumatoid arthritis is found in patients who have lost a significant amount of weight and become underweight, but other symptoms should be present for a doctor to diagnose rheumatoid arthritis.

There are several underlying causes for unexplained weight loss such as anorexia nervosa or bulimia, so doctors will want to investigate whether your weight loss was intentional.

Doctors can also use your body mass index (BMI) as a warning sign that you could have RA. They’ll want to see your BMI at 24 or higher; if it is lower than that, they may suspect RA based on various symptoms.

2) Anemia

Anemia in rheumatoid arthritis

Red blood cells carry oxygen from your lungs to organs and tissues. With anemia, there aren’t enough red blood cells to deliver oxygen efficiently, so you might feel tired or weak.

People with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) often have low levels of iron in their bodies, causing anemia because they are not able to produce enough red blood cells.

If you think you may be experiencing fatigue, see your doctor for a blood test that can confirm or rule out anemia as a possible cause.

Having RA doesn’t mean you have to live with any disease-related complications; it just means it’s time to get tested so that any complications can be addressed before they become unmanageable.

3) Unexplained fever

It may sound strange, but rheumatoid arthritis patients have been known to have unexplained fevers.

Some experts suspect that these false positives are caused by auto-immune diseases such as lupus and Sjogren's syndrome; however, it's not possible to diagnose RA from fever alone.

If you experience a sudden fever while being treated for another autoimmune disease or illness, be sure to talk with your doctor before assuming it's RA.

The same is true if you've never had any other autoimmune problems—RA has certain symptoms in common with other diseases (especially other types of arthritis), but again, it can't be diagnosed solely from symptoms.

4) New stiffness in the joints

Joint stiffness

People with rheumatoid arthritis may experience stiffness in their joints. When there is inflammation present, pain and swelling are more likely to occur if there is a significant amount of joint damage.

The damage experienced due to rheumatoid arthritis can reduce mobility and make it difficult for people to perform common tasks, including climbing stairs or getting dressed.

Over time, these symptoms will become more severe. A doctor will usually use X-rays to detect signs of joint damage when looking for evidence of rheumatoid arthritis.

A physical exam will also be conducted, along with a blood test that checks for evidence of an autoimmune disorder such as lupus or psoriatic arthritis.

5) Fatigue

If you’re tired all day, even after a full night’s sleep, you may have rheumatoid arthritis. This chronic condition often causes tiredness in addition to pain and stiffness.

The fatigue may come and go or be continuous depending on your disease activity at any given time. If fatigue is one of your symptoms, don’t ignore it!

Treating your RA with medication and lifestyle changes will reduce inflammation throughout your body and could make you feel more energetic overall.

These treatment strategies can also improve your ability to manage pain and contribute to better quality sleep, which often results in less fatigue as well.

6) Pain in joints while walking

Joint pain in going up flight of stairs

Another common symptom is pain in your joints when you are walking. Commonly seen as starting pain, means pain is more during the initiation of walking. However, the pain gradually subsides after walking a few yards.

As far as early warning signs are concerned, make sure you keep an eye on pain in your hips, elbows, knees, or ankles.

You will also want to know about these three symptoms: sensitivity to temperature changes; feeling tired for no apparent reason; and weight loss for no particular reason.

If you experience two or more of these symptoms together with joint swelling and redness, visit a doctor as soon as possible.

7) Swollen small joints

Rheumatoid arthritis foot small joints swelling and deformity

Small joints are most often located in your hands and feet. In rheumatoid arthritis (RA), a type of autoimmune disease, these areas may become swollen because RA is an inflammatory condition that affects many different parts of your body—including your immune system.

Your doctor will check for swollen joints by feeling them in your hands and feet.

You'll also likely have blood tests to check for elevated levels of inflammation markers such as C-reactive protein or erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR).

If you have swelling in multiple small joints along with high levels of inflammation markers in your blood, you may be diagnosed with RA even if other symptoms haven't yet appeared.

8) Morning joint pain

Morning pain

One of the earliest signs is waking up with a stiff, achy joint in your hands, wrists, fingers, or toes. It could be an indicator that you have rheumatoid arthritis (RA).

If morning joint pain is one of your symptoms, call your doctor to schedule an appointment. Morning joint pain can also indicate other health problems like gout and psoriatic arthritis.

These conditions are usually treated similarly to RA—with medications and lifestyle changes—so early diagnosis can prevent complications later on.

Rheumatoid arthritis treatments may even help slow down or even reverse your condition altogether when it’s diagnosed and treated early enough, according to your medical advisor.

N.B – The content provided is for information and education purposes only.