Rheumatoid arthritis is a disease wherein our immune system attacks the lining of our joints' membranes, called Synovium. It is a rather ironical fact regarding the defensive nature of immune system yet in the complex mechanisms of the human body imperfections are present no doubt.

It is this so called Synovium that is responsible for the smooth functioning of the joints as it creates a liquid which lubricates the joints. This subsequently causes inflammation, which thickens the synovium. This is dangerous as it will destroy cartilage- and the bone in the joint. Our joints lose their alignment and strength as the tendons and ligaments that hold them together stretch and consequently weaken. All this finally causes our joints to pain and swell.

Rheumatoid arthritis can also affect many 'non-joint' parts of the body like Skin, Nerve tissue, Bone marrow, Eyes, Lungs etc. The symptoms are not uniform in nature-Both in severity and frequency, so one needs to be careful as it is usual to ignore most joint pains which often occur in daily functioning of life. So here are the symptoms one needs to watch out for-

This is the marked feature of the disease. Joint swelling, redness and stiffness can happen due to it.

• Pain here is not temporary. It lasts for some time, often longer than a week. It could have a symmetric pattern of swelling with either both hands or both legs affected.

In mornings or after prolonged period of inactivity the movement of joints may result in pain. This is also not a passing pain but remains for some time.

This is caused by the swelling in the arm or the swelling in the any of the joints. The swelling compresses the nerves going into the hands. It essentially pushes against the nerves creating the tingly feeling. The sensation is often worse at night.

This more often than not happens in the early stages of the disease. The inflammation that occurs can damage parts of our eyes, like the sclera and the cornea.

It causes cause dryness of the eyes, mouth, nose, throat, or skin. This will be accompanied with other symptoms of the disease too.

This Arthritis raises the chances of ulcers, stomach bleeding, and other stomach related conditions too. This can be due to 2 reasons. It could be because of inflammation from the disease or because of side effects from arthritis medication.

This is a symptom of an advanced stage of Arthritis. Lumps can grow under the area near the affected joints. They often appear at the back of the elbows, and rarely even near the eyes!

From lumps to tingling, Directions lead to both Arthritis or allergies…Do not take a wrong path because of wrong directions, get a food allergy test done today!