Signs and symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis

About 1% of the worlds population is affected by rheumatoid arthritis and it's 2-3 times more common in women than in men.  Typically it starts to develop later in life although it can affect people at any age, and there is a version called juvenile rheumatoid arthritis which affects young children.

The early stages of rheumatoid arthritis can be hard to diagnose.  However, if you have a swelling in at least two joints and also stiffness in those swollen joints then that might be an indication of rheumatoid arthritis.

There is another type of arthritis known as osteoarthritis which is essentially where the joint is starting to wear out and this also causes stiffness and pain.  However, if you have osteoarthritis your joint would normally not feel stiff in the morning for more than about say half an hour, whereas if it is rheumatoid arthritis that stiffness is likely to last quite a lot longer.  Although rheumatoid arthritis can wake you up in the middle of the night with pain and stiffness in the joints, this tends not to happen with osteoarthritis.  One more indication that it might be rheumatoid arthritis is feelings of tiredness and fatigue, and the appetite may also be poor so the patient starts to lose weight.  These are not features you would expect from osteoarthritis.  So do remember there are different types of arthritis and these affect people differently, so if you are in any doubt about this, then do discuss this with your doctor.