3 Things To Look Out for With Rheumatoid Arthritis

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic, inflammatory, autoimmune condition. RA causes the body’s immune system to mistakenly attack the joints in the same way it would attack invading viruses, bacteria, and other infectious agents. RA can result in joint pain, swelling, and deformity.

RA can affect more than just the joints. RA can cause inflammation and complications in other tissues and organs of the body, such as the heart, lungs, and eyes.

Chest Pain

Rheumatoid arthritis, chest pain, and lung disease are closely linked. Rheumatoid arthritis chest pain may be caused by an inflammatory process of RA impacting the ribs, a condition called costochondritis. Costochondritis is the inflammation of the cartilage between the ribs and breastbone.

Chest pain is a symptom of RA that may indicate a more serious problem, like heart disease. Heart disease is the leading cause of death for people with RA. Talk to your doctor right away if you experience chest pain.

Chest pain in RA may also be a sign of lung issues. In fact, complications of the lung affect 1 out of 10 people with RA. Complications of the lung linked to RA include:

• Bronchiectasis, or damage of the airways
• Interstitial lung disease, inflammation or scarring of the lungs
• Pleural effusion, a buildup of fluid between the lung and chest wall

Eye Problems

Rheumatoid arthritis can cause ocular issues, or problems with the eyes, such as dry eye and inflammation of the eye.

Eye Inflammation

People with rheumatoid arthritis can experience eye inflammation, which includes blurry vision, pain, and redness. Depending upon what part of the eye is affected, this inflammation (denoted by “-itis”) has several names.

• Iritis is inflammation of the iris, the colored part of the eye.
• Uveitis is inflammation of the uvea, the middle layer of the eye.
• Scleritis is inflammation of the sclera, the white part of the eyeball.

Dry Eye

Eye dryness is very common in people who have rheumatoid arthritis. People with RA and dry eye may also have Sjögren’s syndrome, an autoimmune condition that attacks moisture-producing cells. Dry eye — after extended periods of time — can cause scarring, eye infections, and perforation of the cornea.

Osteoporosis

Osteoporosis causes the bones to lose density, which makes them more susceptible to fracture. RA increases a person’s risk for developing osteoporosis. Osteoporosis is an insidious complication of RA. It can worsen for years while showing no noticeable signs or symptoms until a person experiences a bone fracture. Bone fractures are painful and sometimes disabling.

Osteoporosis and RA also share these links:

1. Some medications used to treat RA, glucocorticoids, have significant bone loss as a side effect.
2. The pain and diminished joint function caused by RA often leads to decreased physical activity, further increasing osteoporosis risk.
3. Bone loss in people with RA is usually concentrated around the joints most affected by the inflammatory disease. This connection suggests osteoporosis may be a direct result of RA.

References

1. Uveitis and Arthritis: How Inflammation Can Affect Your Eyes — Creaky Joints
2. Rheumatoid Arthritis Complications: What RA Patients Need to Know — Creaky Joints
3. What People With Rheumatoid Arthritis Need To Know About Osteoporosis — National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS) | National Institutes of Health (NIH)
4. Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) — Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)

Nyaka’s bio: Nyaka Mwanza is a freelance writer for MyHealthTeams. She completed a B.A. in Communications: Visual Media from American University and undertook post-baccalaureate studies in Health/Behavioral Communications and Marketing at Johns Hopkins University. Nyaka is a Zambian-born, E.U. citizen who was raised in sub-Saharan Africa and Jacksonville, N.C. However, she has called Washington, D.C., home for most of her life. For much of her career, Nyaka has worked with large global health nonprofits focused on improving health outcomes for women and children. Nyaka believes words hold immense power, and her job is to meet the reader where they are, when they’re there.