Rheumatoid arthritis is a disease of the autoimmune system wherein the immune system all of a sudden just attacks the tissues, causing joints to swell and patients to feel pain and get immobilized. This disease affects more women than men. The origins of the disease cannot really be traced, as there is no virus or bacteria that causes it.
What is certain though, is that there are a good number of patients who have experienced complications that arise from having rheumatoid arthritis. These complications may prove to be more serious and debilitating than RA. Rheumatoid arthritis by itself is not fatal, but the complications from RA may prove to be worse to the point of decreasing the number of years that a patient suffering from RA may live. Thus, it is essential for people suffering from RA and the people who care for them but do not have enough medical knowledge to read on and be more informed so as to avoid making the patient’s condition worse.
But beware. A lot of people usually mix up a disease’s symptoms and complications. Symptoms would mean conditions or illnesses themselves that if are noticed or manifested in a patient, would signal or mean a patient has a particular disease. Thus, someone having flu would have symptoms such as a runny nose, red eyes and flushed cheeks. On the other hand, complications arise due to an existing condition. For example, someone who has atherosclerosis may eventually suffer from a heart attack. A heart attack, therefore, is a complication of the earlier condition, the atherosclerosis. Symptoms would be manifestation of a disease while complications are effects manifested in other diseases which arise or develop from a disease that a patient already has.
Rheumatoid arthritis can lead to a number of complications if not stopped or dealt with during the early stages:
- Eye complications
Rheumatoid arthritis can give rise to several complications in the eyes. These include inflammation of the episclera or the fine membrane that covers the white of the eyes or sclera. Although usually mild, the patient’s eye can become painful, and red. Another complication is scleritis or the inflammation of the eye’s white part, which can result to blindness.
Another possible RA complication is Sjogren’s Syndrome, a condition in which the lachrymal glands which are responsible for tear production gets attacked by the immune system. As a result, eyes become too dry, which may lead to infection and scarring of the cornea and/or conjunctiva. It is important for RA patients to always have their eyes checked.
- Skin complications
Complications that manifest in the skin of patients suffering from RA include rheumatoid nodules or lumps of tissue under the skin and are usually seen on the heels, elbows, fingers or forearms. But these nodules can also appear in other parts of the body like the heart and lungs and may appear over time or out of the blue. The nodules can also be a symptom of a more serious disease.
As a result of inflammation caused by RA, another complication may arise in the form of skin ulcers. Meanwhile, complications due to the medication given to patients include skin color or texture changes, sores and rashes.
- Heart and blood vessel complications
A possible complication for RA patients is pericarditis, a heart condition where the membrane that surrounds the heart is swollen. Constant pericarditis episodes may cause heart failure because of the constant thickening of the membrane. Also, a complication rising from usage of drugs to cure RA patients is the weakening of heart muscles.
More serious RA complications include stroke and heart attack. Studies have shown that RA patients have been found to have their risks of having a heart attack in the same level as type 2 diabetic patients.
Lastly, vasculitis or blood vessel inflammation is a complication of rheumatoid arthritis that although does not occur a lot, is a very serious concern. This complication is more known as rheumatoid vasculitis, which usually affects blood vessels in the skin, and can turn serious if the symptoms are seen in the important organs like the heart or eyes.
- Lung complications
As described earlier in heart complications, RA-caused inflammatory process that affects the heart lining may also affect the membrane lining of the lungs. This leads to fluid collection in the lungs and pleuritis.
Rheumatoid nodules mentioned earlier in skin complications may also form in the lungs. Nodules formed in the lungs may cause serious concerns such as a collapsed lung and pleural effusion. Other RA complications in the lungs include pulmonary hypertension and interstitial diseases of the lungs.
Lastly, the lungs may also get affected by RA medication. Methotrexate, a common medicine for RA patients, has the potential to cause lung problems. Somehow, lung problem symptoms like shortness of breath and coughing of blood lessens once the patient stops taking methotrexate medications.
Other complications may arise in other forms of the body, including the blood. Thus, if you have RA and you feel something different, consult your doctor if these “different” conditions are related to your RA. Your doctor is the most reliable source of information on whether or not a certain medical condition is due to your RA diagnosis.