What are the obvious symptoms of early rheumatoid arthritis?

The symptoms of rheumatoid disease are more obvious and are generally easier to detect. For example, patients will clearly notice early symptoms such as redness, swelling, functional impairment, and deformity. At this time, timely examination and treatment should be carried out.

Symptoms of early rheumatoid arthritis

1. Its prominent clinical manifestations are: recurrent, symmetrical, multiple small arthritis, most commonly in the joints of the hands, palms, wrists, toes, etc.

2. In the early stage, symptoms include redness, swelling, heat, pain and dysfunction. In the late stage, the joints may become stiff and deformed to varying degrees, and there may be bone and skeletal muscle atrophy. It is a disease with a high disability rate.

3. From the perspective of pathological changes, rheumatoid arthritis is a widespread inflammatory disease that mainly affects the synovial membrane of the joints (which may later spread to the articular cartilage, bone tissue, joint ligaments and tendons), and secondly the serous membrane, heart, lungs, eyes and other connective tissues. Therefore, in addition to the above-mentioned symptoms of arthritis, patients may also have other systemic manifestations, such as fever, fatigue, weight loss, subcutaneous nodules, pericarditis, pleurisy, peripheral neuropathy, eye lesions, arteritis, etc.

4. The condition and course of the disease vary from individual to individual, ranging from short-lived, mild oligoarthritis to rapidly progressive polyarthritis. The most commonly affected joints are the proximal interphalangeal joints, metacarpophalangeal joints, wrists, elbows, shoulders, knees and toe joints; the cervical spine, temporomandibular joints, sternoclavicular and acromioclavicular joints may also be affected, with limited mobility; hip joint involvement is rare. Arthritis is often manifested by symmetrical, persistent swelling and tenderness, and morning stiffness often lasts for more than 1 hour. The most common joint deformities are ankylosis of the wrist and elbow, subluxation of the metacarpophalangeal joints, ulnar deviation of the fingers, and "swan neck" and buttonhole patterns. Severely ill patients suffer from fibrous or bony ankylosis of the joints, and lose joint function due to atrophy and spasm of the muscles around the joints, making them unable to take care of themselves. In addition to joint symptoms, extra-articular or visceral damage may also occur, such as rheumatoid nodules, heart, lung, kidney, peripheral nerve and eye lesions.