how does ra affect the joints?
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Unlike the wear-and-tear damage of osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis affects the lining of your joints, causing a painful swelling that can eventually result in bone erosion and joint deformity. The inflammation associated with rheumatoid arthritis is what can damage other parts of the body as well.
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Rheumatoid arthritis occurs when your immune system attacks the synovium — the lining of the membranes that surround your joints. The resulting inflammation thickens the synovium, which can eventually destroy the cartilage and bone within the joint.
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It most often starts in the small joints of the hands and feet, and usually affects the same joints on both sides of the body. More than 90% of people with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) develop symptoms in the foot and ankle over the course of the disease.
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Many joints affected (polyarthritis) Usually, but not always, rheumatoid arthritis affects many joints. Classically, RA affects the small joints of the hands and wrists and balls of the feet. Also, not uncommonly, knees, elbows, hips, ankles, and shoulders can be inflamed.
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RA can affect the knuckles in the hands and similar joints in the feet, in particular. The number of joints RA affects varies, but it typically affects at least five joints at the same time. RA can worsen and affect more joints as time passes.
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Hip RA - Hip Rheumatoid Arthritis Although RA is most commonly associated with joints of the hands and wrists, it can also affect larger joints, such as the hips, knees, and shoulders. Symptoms of hip arthritis may occur later than those from RA affecting smaller joints.
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UIHC notes that the same kind of immune system problems that cause joint inflammation, swelling, and pain can also affect your skin. When this happens, RA patients may develop lesions or rashes on the skin, reflecting immunological dysfunctions.
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Rheumatoid arthritis and back pain If you have RA, back pain can result from your body's immune system attacking the synovial lining of the small joints of your spine. In advanced cases, this can even lead to compression of the spinal cord and nerve roots. When this happens, you can experience moderate to severe pain.
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Early rheumatoid arthritis tends to affect your smaller joints first — particularly the joints that attach your fingers to your hands and your toes to your feet. As the disease progresses, symptoms often spread to the wrists, knees, ankles, elbows, hips and shoulders.
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RA, on the other hand, primarily attacks your joints. It affects the fingers, wrists, knees, and ankles. RA can also cause joints to deform, while lupus usually doesn't. RA can also be associated with inflammation in the lungs and around the heart in some cases, and with painful skin nodules.
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Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) causes a person's immune system to mistakenly attack healthy tissue. When left untreated, RA can have wide-ranging effects. Along with the joints, RA can affect many of the body's organs, including the heart, eyes, and brain, as well as the skeleton.
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Rheumatoid arthritis causes joint pain and swelling, reduced mobility and physical weakness. General tiredness, trouble sleeping and exhaustion are other common symptoms. All of these symptoms can greatly affect your everyday life and overall wellbeing. Living with rheumatoid arthritis isn't always easy.
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The disease commonly affects the hands, knees or ankles, and usually the same joint on both sides of the body. But sometimes, RA causes problems in other parts of the body as well, such as the eyes, heart and circulatory system and/or lungs.
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RA and the jaw Although RA commonly affects the hands, wrist, and knees, it can also cause inflammation in the temporomandibular joint (TMJ), or jaw joint. If there is jaw involvement, it usually occurs later on in the course of the disease.
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Rheumatoid arthritis can also attack tissues in addition to the joints, causing further symptoms. Fatigue and fever are common. Lymph nodes may swell. Some people develop nodules (lumps of tissue) beneath the skin near the joints, or in bony areas often exposed to pressure, such as the elbow and the forearm.
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RA can cause swelling and pain in the wrist joints. Over time, this inflammation can lead to permanent damage, resulting in changes to the shape of the wrist joints. A person with RA may also notice nodules forming near the wrists. These are small, firm bumps.
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Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic inflammatory disorder that can affect more than just your joints. In some people, the condition can damage a wide variety of body systems, including the skin, eyes, lungs, heart and blood vessels.