Learn how RA affects your body, problems to watch for, and how to prevent complications.
RA medications may prevent, slow, or stop the damage that leads to deformed joints.
Swan neck deformity is a hand deformity in which your fingers are bent abnormally.
Trigger finger is a painful condition that makes your fingers or thumb catch or lock when you bend them.
RA mainly affects the joints. But it, and many of the medications that treat it, can also affect the skin.
Rheumatoid nodules are firm lumps under the skin. They tend to form close to joints in people affected by RA.
Pannus is a growth in your joints that can cause pain, swelling, and damage to your bones, cartilage, and other tissue.
RA makes you more likely to get heart disease or have a heart attack. But you can lower your chances.
If you have RA you have almost double the chance of developing cardiovascular disease compared with people without RA.
Did you know that if you have rheumatoid arthritis (RA), you’re more likely to also get diabetes?
RA increases risk for a stroke. This happens when a blood vessel that carries oxygen to your brain is blocked or bursts.
Only about 2% of adult Americans have fibromyalgia. But it's more common among people who have RA.
One common complication of RA is peripheral neuropathy. That’s when RA swelling and irritation can lead to nerve damage.
Some doctors believe RA has an effect on cognitive function -- the ability to learn, think, or complete memory tasks.
Research suggests that you might be more likely to lose some hearing compared to someone who doesn’t have RA.
Having RA doesn’t necessarily mean you’re more likely to get IBD. If it does happen, it’s not clear why.
Some people with RA get a rare disorder, Felty's Syndrome. It causes an enlarged spleen and a very low white blood count.
Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) can lead to a metabolic state called rheumatoid cachexia, or muscle wasting.
RA raises your risk of getting osteoporosis, a condition that makes your bones porous and lose density and strength.
RA and gum disease are seemingly unrelated conditions. But research shows that the two have certain bacteria in common.