Signs and symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis

Rheumatoid arthritis is now a very common disease, which has a great impact on the patients' lives. This disease is mainly common among the elderly. So what are the symptoms and signs of rheumatoid arthritis?

1. Pain: In the early stage of the disease, there is local pain in the joints, especially during activities, accompanied by tenderness and pressure. This is the earliest and most sensitive sign for patients.

2. Stiffness of the affected joints is most obvious in the morning when starting to move around, but it will gradually improve after a period of activity.

3. Swelling: The soft tissue around the affected joint is diffusely swollen, and the surface temperature is slightly higher than that of normal joints.

4. In the late stage of deformity, cases generally present with flexion of the metacarpophalangeal joint and ulnar deviation deformity; if it occurs in the toes, it presents a claw toe deformity appearance.

5. Subcutaneous nodules 30% to 40% of patients may develop subcutaneous nodules, which helps in the diagnosis of this disease. Pathological examination of subcutaneous nodules can assist in the diagnosis.

6. Some patients in the acute stage of fever may develop fever, mostly low-grade fever below 38°C.