Rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune condition that occurs when a person’s immune system attacks healthy body tissues, resulting in inflammation and pain in the joints. Symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis usually affect the hands, wrists, and feet, but in severe cases, it can damage other organs of the body. Such as the skin, eyes, lungs, heart and blood vessels, and although it is difficult to fully recover from this condition, early diagnosis can help reduce the occurrence of any risks or complications in the future.
Rheumatoid arthritis starts slowly, and symptoms usually come and go from time to time. If you can spot symptoms in the first stage, you can deal with them easily. Here are 6 early signs of rheumatoid arthritis to look out for, according to a report by the Times of India.
excessive fatigue
Fatigue is a common symptom of this condition. Even before obvious signs such as joint pain and inflammation appear, a person with rheumatoid arthritis may feel very tired and depressed, and they may lack motivation to even carry out their daily tasks, because the body begins to use all the energy to fight the inflammation.
feeling tired
Unexplained weight loss
Joint pain and weight loss seem unrelated, which is why these symptoms often go unnoticed. Unexplained weight loss with prolonged fatigue is an early symptom of rheumatoid arthritis. It’s an indirect effect of inflammation caused by an attack on tissues, as you feel You get tired, have a fever, lose your appetite and eventually lose weight.
Unexplained weight loss
joint stiffness
You may notice stiffness in your joints, especially in the morning, and bouts of joint stiffness also appear throughout the day after a period of inactivity. You may feel tightness in your wrists, knees and feet, which can be felt on both sides of the body. It will start to last longer over time.
joint stiffness
Numbness and tingling
Tissue inflammation can also put excessive pressure on your nerves, and over time can lead to numbness and tingling in your hands and feet. When you put pressure on your joints, you may feel pain and find it difficult to do even basic tasks like walking and moving something from one place to another.
Tingling and numbness in the feet and hands
Reduced range of motion
Joint stiffness may make it difficult to move. In the initial stage of rheumatoid arthritis, a person may have difficulty moving the wrist back and forth and performing exercises. Over time, the disease will progress and begin to damage ligaments and tendons, making it difficult to bend and straighten them.
low motion
knuckle redness
Rheumatoid arthritis can also make the joints look red, due to tissue inflammation. Besides, discoloration of the skin around the joints of the hands and feet is also common for this condition.
knuckle redness