Here are several lesser-known — but sometimes serious — symptoms that can come with rheumatoid arthritis.
1. Bruising Easily
Autoimmune diseases like RA can cause your blood platelet count to dip below the normal level. Essentially, due to RA, your body uses or destroys platelets faster than it produces them, which can cause you to bruise more easily. Certain medications taken for RA, like the corticosteroid prednisone, are also known to increase the likelihood of bruising. “Your doctor can conduct a physical exam and do a complete blood count to determine whether you have low platelet levels due to the disease or to medication, and perhaps recommend treatment alternatives,” explains Rochelle Rosian, MD, a rheumatologist with the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio.
2. Allover Weakness or Fatigue
What doctors call anemia of inflammation and chronic disease (AI/ACD) shouldn’t be confused with iron-deficiency anemia, the most common form of this condition. AI/ACD is the second most common form of anemia and, as the name suggests, it’s associated with chronic diseases, inflammatory disorders like RA, lupus, and cancer. In both AI/ACD and iron-deficiency anemia, there are low levels of iron circulating in the blood. In AI/ACD, however, blood iron levels are low even though stored iron levels are normal or high, according to the National Institutes of Health. This occurs because inflammatory conditions like RA interfere with the way the body uses stored iron and iron from diet. Common signs of AI/ACD include weakness, fatigue, pale skin, fast heartbeat and shortness of breath. Your doctor can order a complete blood count to determine whether you have AI/ACD. Typically, doctors will focus on treating the chronic illness that’s causing AI/ACD. For people with AI/ACD caused by RA, anti-inflammatories may be prescribed.
4. Itchy and Dry Eyes
Eye conditions like keratoconjunctivitis sicca, or dry-eye syndrome, are relatively common symptoms in people who have RA. Dry eye, which can cause blurred vision, occurs more often in women than in men, notes the American Academy of Ophthalmology. Talk to your ophthalmologist (eye doctor) about treatment if you have dry eyes. You may want to invest in a humidifier, or consider preservative-free eye drops. “Start with over-the-counter lubricating ones, but if these don’t help, ask your ophthalmologist about a prescription for immunosuppressive eye drops like Restasis (cyclosporine),” says Jonathan Greer, MD, a rheumatologist with Arthritis & Rheumatology Associates of Palm Beach and a medical adviser to CreakyJoints.
5. Sharp Chest Pain
RA inflammation can cause chest pain that isn’t related to your heart or cardiovascular system. Irritation of the costosternal joints — those that connect your ribs to your breastbone — can be very painful, and because it’s common to think of a heart attack when chest pain is present, it can be a scary experience. But this kind of pain is not the result of a heart condition. Once chest pain is diagnosed as “costochondritis” — being related to joint pain, rather than cardiac problems — the recommended treatment is usually to take an over-the-counter pain reliever such as Tylenol (acetaminophen) or Advil or Motrin (ibuprofen). The pain typically goes away on its own, notes the Mayo Clinic, but may continue for a few weeks or sometimes longer. Using an ice pack or a heating pad can also help relieve symptoms. And physical therapy might provide additional pain relief. Also, avoid any activities or movements that strain the chest area and increase your pain. If these efforts don’t help, talk to your provider about oral prednisone, available by prescription to help soothe the swelling caused by inflammation. Another potential treatment option are steroid injections, which are administered directly into the area where the joint is inflamed.
6. Soreness in Your Ankles and Feet
RA can cause problems in the ankle and foot, including pain, sore joints, redness, swelling and inflammation, or warmth. Treatments may involve medications known as DMARDs, physical therapy, different footwear, braces, orthotics, or surgery. Some of the foot issues that can be caused by RA include bunions, hammertoe, bursitis, Charcot arthropathy, plantar fasciitis, rheumatoid nodules, and heel pain. RELATED: Treating Rheumatoid Arthritis With Disease Modifying Therapies
7. A Sensation of Prickling or Numbness in Your Hands
If your hands feel like they’re burning or numb, it may be a sign of carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS), which is a problem with the nerve that runs from the wrist to the fingers. CTS often occurs in people who have RA, according to CreakyJoints. Talk to your physician right away if you notice changes in how your hands feel. There’s no reason to live with pain or discomfort from CTS, and treatment helps preserve hand function. CTS treatment may include wrist splints worn at night, steroid injections, adjustments to RA medication, or less commonly, surgery that helps release the pressure on the nerves in the hands. RELATED: Hand Numbness With Rheumatoid Arthritis: Symptom or Complication?
