Heart attack and stroke: When plaques from damaged blood vessels break lose, they can block a vessel, leading to heart attack or stroke.
In fact, a Swedish study found that the risk of heart attack for people with RA was 60 percent higher just one year after being diagnosed with RA. Pericarditis: Inflammation of the heart lining, the pericardium, may manifest as chest pain.
Treatment to control arthritis often controls pericarditis as well. Your doctor will need to evaluate your risk when prescribing treatment for your RA. For example, long-term use of the pain reliever acetaminophen Tylenol is considered a leading cause of liver failure.
Liver diseases may also occur with long-term methotrexate use. Working with your rheumatologist to monitor your blood is key to preventing problems. Kidneys Drug effects: As with the liver, drugs taken for arthritis can lead to kidney problems.
If you are taking these drugs long term, your doctor will monitor your kidney function to watch for problems. Blood Anemia : Unchecked inflammation can lead to a reduction in red blood cells characterized by headache and fatigue.
Treatment consists of drugs to control inflammation along with iron supplements. Blood clots: Inflammation might lead to elevated blood platelet levels, and blood clots. Felty syndrome: Though rare, people with longstanding RA can develop Felty syndrome, characterized by an enlarged spleen and low white blood cell count. This condition may lead to increased risk of infection and lymphoma cancer of the lymph glands.
Immunosuppressant drugs are the usual treatment. Drug effects: Aggressively treating inflammation with corticosteroids may cause thrombocytopenia, an abnormally low number of blood platelets. Rheumatoid Arthritis How Fat Affects Rheumatoid Arthritis Being overweight can worsen RA symptoms, make medications less effective and set you up for other health problems.
Rheumatoid Arthritis How Stress Affects Arthritis Having a chronic disease like arthritis affects many aspects of daily living and can cause stress. Learn coping strategies dealing with stress. Rheumatoid Arthritis How Arthritis Affects the Family Being understood by and understanding your loved ones are key to fortifying family relationships.
Diagnosed With Rheumatoid Arthritis? I Want to Contribute. Donate Every gift to the Arthritis Foundation will help people with arthritis across the U. Volunteer Join us and become a Champion of Yes. Live Yes!
Make a Donation Help millions of people live with less pain and fund groundbreaking research to discover a cure for this devastating disease. Patient advocate Leslie Rott shares tools and services that can be helpful for making day-to-day life easier while living with RA.
If you live with rheumatoid arthritis, it's important to consider your mental well-being in addition to your physical health.
Learn more about the…. Rheumatoid arthritis progresses for different people in different ways. Learn more about the stages of rheumatoid arthritis, along with treatment…. Health Conditions Discover Plan Connect. Effects of Rheumatoid Arthritis on the Body. Medically reviewed by Debra Sullivan, Ph. Share on Pinterest. The effects of rheumatoid arthritis on the body. Skeletal system. Circulatory system. Skin, eyes, and mouth.
Respiratory system. Immune system. Other systems. Read this next. Medically reviewed by Nancy Carteron, M. Four Stages and Progression of Rheumatoid Arthritis. Medically reviewed by Brenda B. Your progressing RA can also lead to pulmonary hypertension or high blood pressure in the arteries of your lungs. It can also affect the arteries that carry blood from your heart to your lungs and make your heart work harder.
Due to pulmonary hypertension, it becomes difficult for your heart to pump blood through your lungs, which can lead to various serious and life-threatening complications, including death.
RA patients with pulmonary hypertension usually experience:. A chronic complication of rheumatoid arthritis, in bronchiectasis, RA inflammation causes the walls of the bronchi to thicken. The lungs also become prone to infection. Symptoms of bronchiectasis include periodic flare-ups coupled with. Bronchiolitis obliterans is a dangerous and life-threatening condition that occurs due to the inflammation and scarring of lung tissues.
It is one of the RA-mediated lung diseases that worsen over time and ultimately lead to respiratory failure. In bronchiolitis obliterans, bronchioles or the small airways of lungs become injured due to inflammation and prevent air from passing through the air sacs.
Anyone and everyone suffering for rheumatoid arthritis is at potential risk for developing chronic lung diseases. However, the risk doubles if people with RA:. Rheumatoid arthritis can have a severe and lasting impact on your lungs. Here are some ways to protect your lungs from RA-related problems:. RA is a progressive, degenerative disease which over the years can cause severe damage to your various vital organs, including lungs. This occurs when inflamed tissue in the wrist squeezes a nerve that extends from the forearm.
Because the feet bear the weight of the body, the pain can become severe. RA often develops in the joints of the toes and, less commonly, the ankles. The condition can also lead to:. If RA causes circulatory problems, their feet or toes may become numb easily or develop a bluish tinge. Many people with RA may experience psychological effects, such as:.
These issues may occur :. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention CDC acknowledge that addressing mental health factors in people with arthritis might enhance the effects of treatment. Prescription medications for RA can cause complications, including liver and kidney damage. This can result from the long-term use of pain relief or anti-inflammatory medications. RA is a progressive disease that usually worsens gradually, though medication can help slow its progress. Over time, symptoms may become more severe or start to affect other joints or parts of the body if the treatment is not effective enough.
For people with more advanced cases, surgery or joint replacements can help. When RA progresses, symptoms occur more frequently, and pain often grows worse. Below are common indications that RA is progressing:. Anyone who notices new symptoms or symptoms that worsen or appear more frequently should contact a doctor. People with RA often benefit from a tailored treatment plan. Guidelines published by the American College of Rheumatology and the European League Against Rheumatism recommend that doctors work with each individual to develop a plan that suits their specific symptoms.
This may involve treatment from specialists in different areas. What is the outlook for RA, and does it affect life expectancy? RA is an inflammatory condition that causes pain and swelling in the joints and can also affect other areas, including the skin, eyes, brain, and cardiovascular system. It can increase the risk of other health problems, such as a heart attack or stroke. Symptoms tend to fluctuate, worsening and improving periodically. Treatments can help manage the symptoms, slow the progression of the disease, and reduce the risk of permanent damage.
Rheumatoid arthritis or RA, can affect the ankle joints in the same way as other joints, causing pain, inflammation, and swelling.
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