Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsEarly SymptomsAdvanced SymptomsTreatmentCoping
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
Early Symptoms
Advanced Symptoms
Treatment
Coping
In the early stages of rheumatoid arthritis (RA), people may first notice tenderness, stiffness, and pain in the small joints in the hands and feet.
Rheumatoid arthritis(RA) is a type ofinflammatory arthritisthat primarily affects the joints of the hands, wrists, and knees, but any joint in the body can be affected. Beyond early-stage rheumatoid arthritis in the hands, some people experience RA that candamage other body systems, including the skin, eyes, heart, and blood vessels.
RA is anautoimmune disease, which means it results from the immune system mistakenly attacking healthy tissues.Researchers aren’t entirely sure what starts this process, and it appears to be a combination of genetic, environmental, and other factors.
For many people with RA, the first symptoms will be pain inone joint, or in thefingers, wrists, toes, and ankles.It often affects people between the ages of 20 and 50, but young children and older adults can also have RA. Symptoms can be more severe inearly-onset RA.
RA that starts after age 60 is calledlate-onset RA.It tends to be less severe but can affect larger joints, like your shoulders.
Joint pain, swelling, tenderness, stiffness, redness, and warmth are all ways in which RA affects the joints. The nerves of the joint capsule (the sleeve of fibrous connective tissue around a joint) can become irritated and cause pain.
The earliest signs and symptoms of RA will come on gradually and may occur even before joint pain and stiffness become noticeable. They include:
Early Rheumatoid Arthritis
There are four stages of RA and its progression, beginning with early-stage disease. Swelling is common in stage 2. By stage 3, joints can start to be deformed and people may experience nerve pain. In stage 4, the joint is essentially immobile and permanently damaged.
Advancedsymptoms of RAthat you may experience include:
People may have more than one joint affected in early RA but arthritis that affects four or more joints (polyarthritis) may progress.They also may experience complications of more severe and/or untreated disease that include:
Do the Signs of RA Come On Suddenly or Gradually?For most people who get RA, joint symptoms will develop gradually over several years. However, some people will have a severe and more rapid disease course. A few people are fortunate to experience RA for a limited time and then it goes intoremission—a period of low disease activity or no symptoms.
Do the Signs of RA Come On Suddenly or Gradually?
For most people who get RA, joint symptoms will develop gradually over several years. However, some people will have a severe and more rapid disease course. A few people are fortunate to experience RA for a limited time and then it goes intoremission—a period of low disease activity or no symptoms.
The first thing to do when you have early signs of rheumatoid arthritis in your hands (or elsewhere) is to see your healthcare provider as soon as possible.
Your healthcare provider can diagnose the condition and recommend treatments or refer you to arheumatologist—a specialist who treats arthritis.
Early diagnosis and treatment can help manage RA and slow its progression, which may reduce the risk or delay some of the complications. The condition will need to be managed for the rest of your life, though different treatment options will be used in different cases.
Medications include:
Managing your RA may involve other therapies such as:
RA cannot be cured (though it can go into remission) so treatment aims to make adjustments that improve your quality of life and prevent disease progression. Apart from closely following your treatment plan for early-stage rheumatoid arthritis in your hands (or other RA symptoms), you can:
If you’re interested in a support group, ask your healthcare provider for recommendations.
Summary
Additional signs include fatigue, malaise, loss of range of motion, limping, anemia, low-grade fever, disease symmetry, and multiple affected joints.
There is no cure for RA, but there are many treatments that can decrease pain, slow down disease progression, and reduce the potential for joint damage and disability. Early diagnosis and treatment are also vital to reducing the risk of complications from the condition.
21 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases.Rheumatoid Arthritis Basics.Johns Hopkins Arthritis Center.Rheumatoid arthritis signs and symptoms.Ke Y, Dai X, Xu D, et al.Features and outcomes of elderly rheumatoid arthritis: does the age of onset matter? a comparative study from a single center in China.Rheumatol Ther.2021 Mar;8(1):243-254. doi:10.1007/s40744-020-00267-8Kobak S, Bes C.An autumn tale: geriatric rheumatoid arthritis.Ther Adv Musculoskelet Dis. 2018;10(1):3-11. doi:10.1177/1759720X17740075Jutley GS, Latif ZP, Raza K.Symptoms in individuals at risk of rheumatoid arthritis.Best Pract Res Clin Rheumatol. 2017 Feb;31(1):59-70. doi:10.1016/j.berh.2017.09.016Choy EH, Dures E.Fatigue in rheumatoid arthritis.Rheumatology(Oxford). 2019;58(Suppl 5):v1-v2. doi:10.1093/rheumatology/kez314Bullock J, Rizvi SAA, Saleh AM, et al.Rheumatoid arthritis: A brief overview of the treatment.Med Princ Pract.2018;27(6):501-507. doi:10.1159/000493390Pujalte GG, Albano-Aluquin SA.Differential diagnosis of polyarticular arthritis.Am Fam Physician.2015 Jul 1;92(1):35-41Galloway J, Cope AP.The ying and yang of fever in rheumatic disease. Clin Med (Lond). 2015 Jun;15(3):288-91. doi: 10.7861/clinmedicine.15-3-288Hospital for Special Surgery, Lindsay Lally, MD.The 4 Stages of Rheumatoid Arthritis Progression.Mellblom Bengtsson M, Hagel S, Jacobsson L, et al.Lower extremity function in patients with early rheumatoid arthritis during the first five years, and relation to other disease parameters.Scand J Rheumatol.2019 Sep;48(5):367-374. doi:10.1080/03009742.2019.1579859Alpay-Kanıtez N, Çelik S, Bes C.Polyarthritis and its differential diagnosis.Eur J Rheumatol. 2018;6(4):167-173. doi:10.5152/eurjrheum.2019.19145Jagadeesan S, Shenoy P.Arthropathy in dermatology: A comprehensive review.Indian Dermatol Online J.2017;8(2):79-93. doi:10.4103/idoj.IDOJ_25_17Avina-Zubieta JA, Thomas J, Sadatsafavi M, et al.Risk of incident cardiovascular events in patients with rheumatoid arthritis: a meta-analysis of observational studies.Ann Rheum Dis.2012 Sep;71(9):1524-9. doi:10.1136/annrheumdis-2011-200726Nemeth E, Ganz T.Anemia of inflammation.Hematol Oncol Clin North Am. 2014;28(4):671-vi. doi:10.1016/j.hoc.2014.04.005Studenic P, Aletaha D, de Wit M, Stamm TA, Alasti F, Lacaille D,et al.American College of Rheumatology/EULAR remission criteria for rheumatoid arthritis: 2022 revision.Ann Rheum Dis. 2023 Jan;82(1):74-80. doi:10.1136/ard-2022-223413.Arthritis Foundation.Rheumatoid Arthritis Treatment Guidelines.Arthritis Foundation.Expert Q&A: Best Exercise Plan for Arthritis Pain.Nehring SM, Goyal A, Bansal P, et al.C Reactive Protein (CRP)In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2020 Jan-. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK441843/Hackensack Meridian Health.Foods you should avoid with rheumatoid arthritis.Del Rosso A, Maddali-Bongi S.Mind body therapies in rehabilitation of patients with rheumatic diseases.Complement Ther Clin Pract. 2016;22:80–86. doi:10.1016/j.ctcp.2015.12.005
21 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases.Rheumatoid Arthritis Basics.Johns Hopkins Arthritis Center.Rheumatoid arthritis signs and symptoms.Ke Y, Dai X, Xu D, et al.Features and outcomes of elderly rheumatoid arthritis: does the age of onset matter? a comparative study from a single center in China.Rheumatol Ther.2021 Mar;8(1):243-254. doi:10.1007/s40744-020-00267-8Kobak S, Bes C.An autumn tale: geriatric rheumatoid arthritis.Ther Adv Musculoskelet Dis. 2018;10(1):3-11. doi:10.1177/1759720X17740075Jutley GS, Latif ZP, Raza K.Symptoms in individuals at risk of rheumatoid arthritis.Best Pract Res Clin Rheumatol. 2017 Feb;31(1):59-70. doi:10.1016/j.berh.2017.09.016Choy EH, Dures E.Fatigue in rheumatoid arthritis.Rheumatology(Oxford). 2019;58(Suppl 5):v1-v2. doi:10.1093/rheumatology/kez314Bullock J, Rizvi SAA, Saleh AM, et al.Rheumatoid arthritis: A brief overview of the treatment.Med Princ Pract.2018;27(6):501-507. doi:10.1159/000493390Pujalte GG, Albano-Aluquin SA.Differential diagnosis of polyarticular arthritis.Am Fam Physician.2015 Jul 1;92(1):35-41Galloway J, Cope AP.The ying and yang of fever in rheumatic disease. Clin Med (Lond). 2015 Jun;15(3):288-91. doi: 10.7861/clinmedicine.15-3-288Hospital for Special Surgery, Lindsay Lally, MD.The 4 Stages of Rheumatoid Arthritis Progression.Mellblom Bengtsson M, Hagel S, Jacobsson L, et al.Lower extremity function in patients with early rheumatoid arthritis during the first five years, and relation to other disease parameters.Scand J Rheumatol.2019 Sep;48(5):367-374. doi:10.1080/03009742.2019.1579859Alpay-Kanıtez N, Çelik S, Bes C.Polyarthritis and its differential diagnosis.Eur J Rheumatol. 2018;6(4):167-173. doi:10.5152/eurjrheum.2019.19145Jagadeesan S, Shenoy P.Arthropathy in dermatology: A comprehensive review.Indian Dermatol Online J.2017;8(2):79-93. doi:10.4103/idoj.IDOJ_25_17Avina-Zubieta JA, Thomas J, Sadatsafavi M, et al.Risk of incident cardiovascular events in patients with rheumatoid arthritis: a meta-analysis of observational studies.Ann Rheum Dis.2012 Sep;71(9):1524-9. doi:10.1136/annrheumdis-2011-200726Nemeth E, Ganz T.Anemia of inflammation.Hematol Oncol Clin North Am. 2014;28(4):671-vi. doi:10.1016/j.hoc.2014.04.005Studenic P, Aletaha D, de Wit M, Stamm TA, Alasti F, Lacaille D,et al.American College of Rheumatology/EULAR remission criteria for rheumatoid arthritis: 2022 revision.Ann Rheum Dis. 2023 Jan;82(1):74-80. doi:10.1136/ard-2022-223413.Arthritis Foundation.Rheumatoid Arthritis Treatment Guidelines.Arthritis Foundation.Expert Q&A: Best Exercise Plan for Arthritis Pain.Nehring SM, Goyal A, Bansal P, et al.C Reactive Protein (CRP)In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2020 Jan-. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK441843/Hackensack Meridian Health.Foods you should avoid with rheumatoid arthritis.Del Rosso A, Maddali-Bongi S.Mind body therapies in rehabilitation of patients with rheumatic diseases.Complement Ther Clin Pract. 2016;22:80–86. doi:10.1016/j.ctcp.2015.12.005
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases.Rheumatoid Arthritis Basics.Johns Hopkins Arthritis Center.Rheumatoid arthritis signs and symptoms.Ke Y, Dai X, Xu D, et al.Features and outcomes of elderly rheumatoid arthritis: does the age of onset matter? a comparative study from a single center in China.Rheumatol Ther.2021 Mar;8(1):243-254. doi:10.1007/s40744-020-00267-8Kobak S, Bes C.An autumn tale: geriatric rheumatoid arthritis.Ther Adv Musculoskelet Dis. 2018;10(1):3-11. doi:10.1177/1759720X17740075Jutley GS, Latif ZP, Raza K.Symptoms in individuals at risk of rheumatoid arthritis.Best Pract Res Clin Rheumatol. 2017 Feb;31(1):59-70. doi:10.1016/j.berh.2017.09.016Choy EH, Dures E.Fatigue in rheumatoid arthritis.Rheumatology(Oxford). 2019;58(Suppl 5):v1-v2. doi:10.1093/rheumatology/kez314Bullock J, Rizvi SAA, Saleh AM, et al.Rheumatoid arthritis: A brief overview of the treatment.Med Princ Pract.2018;27(6):501-507. doi:10.1159/000493390Pujalte GG, Albano-Aluquin SA.Differential diagnosis of polyarticular arthritis.Am Fam Physician.2015 Jul 1;92(1):35-41Galloway J, Cope AP.The ying and yang of fever in rheumatic disease. Clin Med (Lond). 2015 Jun;15(3):288-91. doi: 10.7861/clinmedicine.15-3-288Hospital for Special Surgery, Lindsay Lally, MD.The 4 Stages of Rheumatoid Arthritis Progression.Mellblom Bengtsson M, Hagel S, Jacobsson L, et al.Lower extremity function in patients with early rheumatoid arthritis during the first five years, and relation to other disease parameters.Scand J Rheumatol.2019 Sep;48(5):367-374. doi:10.1080/03009742.2019.1579859Alpay-Kanıtez N, Çelik S, Bes C.Polyarthritis and its differential diagnosis.Eur J Rheumatol. 2018;6(4):167-173. doi:10.5152/eurjrheum.2019.19145Jagadeesan S, Shenoy P.Arthropathy in dermatology: A comprehensive review.Indian Dermatol Online J.2017;8(2):79-93. doi:10.4103/idoj.IDOJ_25_17Avina-Zubieta JA, Thomas J, Sadatsafavi M, et al.Risk of incident cardiovascular events in patients with rheumatoid arthritis: a meta-analysis of observational studies.Ann Rheum Dis.2012 Sep;71(9):1524-9. doi:10.1136/annrheumdis-2011-200726Nemeth E, Ganz T.Anemia of inflammation.Hematol Oncol Clin North Am. 2014;28(4):671-vi. doi:10.1016/j.hoc.2014.04.005Studenic P, Aletaha D, de Wit M, Stamm TA, Alasti F, Lacaille D,et al.American College of Rheumatology/EULAR remission criteria for rheumatoid arthritis: 2022 revision.Ann Rheum Dis. 2023 Jan;82(1):74-80. doi:10.1136/ard-2022-223413.Arthritis Foundation.Rheumatoid Arthritis Treatment Guidelines.Arthritis Foundation.Expert Q&A: Best Exercise Plan for Arthritis Pain.Nehring SM, Goyal A, Bansal P, et al.C Reactive Protein (CRP)In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2020 Jan-. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK441843/Hackensack Meridian Health.Foods you should avoid with rheumatoid arthritis.Del Rosso A, Maddali-Bongi S.Mind body therapies in rehabilitation of patients with rheumatic diseases.Complement Ther Clin Pract. 2016;22:80–86. doi:10.1016/j.ctcp.2015.12.005
National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases.Rheumatoid Arthritis Basics.
Johns Hopkins Arthritis Center.Rheumatoid arthritis signs and symptoms.
Ke Y, Dai X, Xu D, et al.Features and outcomes of elderly rheumatoid arthritis: does the age of onset matter? a comparative study from a single center in China.Rheumatol Ther.2021 Mar;8(1):243-254. doi:10.1007/s40744-020-00267-8
Kobak S, Bes C.An autumn tale: geriatric rheumatoid arthritis.Ther Adv Musculoskelet Dis. 2018;10(1):3-11. doi:10.1177/1759720X17740075
Jutley GS, Latif ZP, Raza K.Symptoms in individuals at risk of rheumatoid arthritis.Best Pract Res Clin Rheumatol. 2017 Feb;31(1):59-70. doi:10.1016/j.berh.2017.09.016
Choy EH, Dures E.Fatigue in rheumatoid arthritis.Rheumatology(Oxford). 2019;58(Suppl 5):v1-v2. doi:10.1093/rheumatology/kez314
Bullock J, Rizvi SAA, Saleh AM, et al.Rheumatoid arthritis: A brief overview of the treatment.Med Princ Pract.2018;27(6):501-507. doi:10.1159/000493390
Pujalte GG, Albano-Aluquin SA.Differential diagnosis of polyarticular arthritis.Am Fam Physician.2015 Jul 1;92(1):35-41
Galloway J, Cope AP.The ying and yang of fever in rheumatic disease. Clin Med (Lond). 2015 Jun;15(3):288-91. doi: 10.7861/clinmedicine.15-3-288
Hospital for Special Surgery, Lindsay Lally, MD.The 4 Stages of Rheumatoid Arthritis Progression.
Mellblom Bengtsson M, Hagel S, Jacobsson L, et al.Lower extremity function in patients with early rheumatoid arthritis during the first five years, and relation to other disease parameters.Scand J Rheumatol.2019 Sep;48(5):367-374. doi:10.1080/03009742.2019.1579859
Alpay-Kanıtez N, Çelik S, Bes C.Polyarthritis and its differential diagnosis.Eur J Rheumatol. 2018;6(4):167-173. doi:10.5152/eurjrheum.2019.19145
Jagadeesan S, Shenoy P.Arthropathy in dermatology: A comprehensive review.Indian Dermatol Online J.2017;8(2):79-93. doi:10.4103/idoj.IDOJ_25_17
Avina-Zubieta JA, Thomas J, Sadatsafavi M, et al.Risk of incident cardiovascular events in patients with rheumatoid arthritis: a meta-analysis of observational studies.Ann Rheum Dis.2012 Sep;71(9):1524-9. doi:10.1136/annrheumdis-2011-200726
Nemeth E, Ganz T.Anemia of inflammation.Hematol Oncol Clin North Am. 2014;28(4):671-vi. doi:10.1016/j.hoc.2014.04.005
Studenic P, Aletaha D, de Wit M, Stamm TA, Alasti F, Lacaille D,et al.American College of Rheumatology/EULAR remission criteria for rheumatoid arthritis: 2022 revision.Ann Rheum Dis. 2023 Jan;82(1):74-80. doi:10.1136/ard-2022-223413.
Arthritis Foundation.Rheumatoid Arthritis Treatment Guidelines.
Arthritis Foundation.Expert Q&A: Best Exercise Plan for Arthritis Pain.
Nehring SM, Goyal A, Bansal P, et al.C Reactive Protein (CRP)In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2020 Jan-. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK441843/
Hackensack Meridian Health.Foods you should avoid with rheumatoid arthritis.
Del Rosso A, Maddali-Bongi S.Mind body therapies in rehabilitation of patients with rheumatic diseases.Complement Ther Clin Pract. 2016;22:80–86. doi:10.1016/j.ctcp.2015.12.005
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