Clinical Manifestations of Rheumatoid Arthritis

There are several clinical manifestations are commonly found in patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis. Clinical manifestations do not have to appear simultaneously at the same time because this disease has Clinical manifestations are highly variable.

1. Constitutional symptoms such as fatigue, poor appetite, weight loss and fever. Sometimes fatigue can be so great.

2. Symmetrical polyarthritis (inflammation of the joints on the left and right), especially in peripheral joints, including joints in the hand, but usually does not involve the joints between the fingers and toes. Almost all diarthrodial joints (joints that can be moved freely) can be attacked.

3. Stiffness in the morning for more than 1 hour, can be general, but especially to attack the joints. Stiffness is different from the joint stiffness in osteoarthritis (inflammation of bone and joints), which usually only lasts for a few minutes and for less than 1 hour.

4. Erosive arthritis is the hallmark of this disease on radiological picture. Chronic joint inflammation that lead to the erosion of the bone edge.

5. Deformity: destruction of the supporting structure of the joint with the course of the disease. Ulnar deviation of fingers or shift, the shift in the bone joints in the palm of the hand and finger, boutonniere deformity, swan neck and hands are some of the deformities that are often encountered in patients. There is a knob on the head of the metatarsal foot, arising from the secondary metatarsal subluxation. Large joints can also be attacked and suffered a reduction in the ability to move, especially in the extension movement.

6. Rheumatoid nodules subcutaneous mass was found in about one third of adult patients with rheumatoid arthritis. The most frequent location of this deformity is the exchange olekranon (elbow joint) or along the extensor surfaces of arms, however bulge) may also occur in other places. The existence of these nodules are usually an indication of an active disease and more severe.

7. Extra-articular manifestations (excluding joints) rheumatism can also invade other organs outside the joint. As the eye: keratoconjunctivitis sicca which is Sjögren's syndrome, cardiovascular system may resemble a severe constrictive pericarditis, inflamatif lesions resembling rheumatoid nodules can be found on the myocardium and cardiac valves, these lesions can lead to valve dysfunction, a phenomenon embolissasi, conduction disturbances and cardiomyopathy.