arthritis symptoms

Pain and progressive stiffness without noticeable swelling, chills, or fever during normal activities probably indicates the gradual onset of osteoarthritis.

WorthRheumatoid arthritis is a serious autoimmune disease that attacks the joints and other body parts.
But RA can be tough to diagnose. Symptoms can mimic other illnesses, or they may flare, then fade, only to flare again somewhere else. Lab tests aren’t perfect—you can test negative for RA factors and still have it. And X-rays don’t show signs until later on.


Here are some tricky rheumatoid arthritis symptoms and hints that they’re due to RA and not some other condition.

Painful swelling, inflammation, and stiffness in the fingers, arms, legs, and wrists occurring in the same joints on both sides of the body, especially upon awakening, may be signs of rheumatoid arthritis.

Understanding Arthritis
Find out more about arthritis:
Basics
Symptoms
Diagnosis and Treatment
Fever, joint inflammation, tenderness, and sharp pain, sometimes accompanied by chills and associated with an injury or another illness, may indicate infectious arthritis.

In children, intermittent fever, loss of appetite, weight loss, and anemia, or blotchy rash on the arms and legs, may signal the onset of some types of juvenile rheumatoid arthritis. Other forms of juvenile rheumatoid arthritis are associated with joint stiffness, a limp, or joint swelling.

Call Your Doctor About Arthritis If:

The pain and stiffness come on quickly, whether from an injury or an unknown cause.
The pain is accompanied by fever; you may have infectious arthritis.
The pain develops quickly and is associated with redness and extreme tenderness of the joint; this may be the onset of gout.
You notice pain and stiffness in your arms, legs, or back after sitting for short periods or after a night's sleep; you may be developing osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, or another arthritic condition.