Complete Insights about Unusual Symptoms of Rheumatoid Arthritis

Unusual Symptoms of Rheumatoid Arthritis

RA can show unusual symptoms that are difficult to identify and need proper attention for diagnosis.

1.      Numbness and Tingling

Numbness and itching are uncommon symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis. These symptoms don’t typically express themselves in rheumatoid arthritis like typical symptoms such as swelling and joint pain. These can be caused by a variety of RA- related conditions including:

• Nerve Compression: Rheumatoid arthritis can cause inflammation around the nerve. It produces compression and tingling sensations in the hands and feet.

• Carpal Tunnel Syndrome: It is an RA-related inflammation that mostly affects the wrist joint. This inflammation compresses the medial nerve of the wrist. As a result, numbness and tingling occur.

• Rheumatoid Vasculitis: This is a rare complication that does inflammation in the blood vessels causing rheumatoid arthritis pericarditis. The inflamed blood vessels then disrupt the normal blood flow to the nerves, resulting in numbness.

• Drug Side-Effects: Sometimes, the drugs you use to treat RA symptoms cause numbness as a side effect.

2..    Dry Eyes and Mouth

It is another rare symptom of rheumatoid arthritis. Basically dry eye and mouth is a symptom of Sjogren’s Syndrome which is an autoimmune disorder just like rheumatoid arthritis. Sometimes the immune system misunderstands rheumatoid arthritis as Sjogren’s Syndrome and targets the glands that produce tears and saliva, causing dry eyes and mouth. Here’s how it happens:

• Glandular Infiltration: In Sjorgen’s syndrome, immune cells attack the lacrimal glands in eyes and mouth, as a result, tear and saliva production decreases, leading to mouth and eyes dryness.

• Eye Problems: The lack of tear and saliva production can lead to corneal damage, and reduced sensitivity of eyes towards light.

• Mouth Issues: Month dryness can cause tooth decay, mouth infections, and difficulty in swallowing and chewing.

3.      Skin Rashes

Rheumatoid arthritis is known for its joint-related symptoms. However, it can also cause uncommon symptoms like skin nodules in some cases.

Rheumatoid Nodules are small subcutaneous outgrowths that can develop in any part of the body. These nodules form in response to inflammation by rheumatoid arthritis. The inflammation causes immune cells and connective tissues to accumulate in the affected area, resulting in nodule formation.

4.      Difficulty Breathing and Chest Pain

Breathlessness and chest pain are not usual symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis. So, if you ever notice these symptoms, be aware as it could be a sign of a rare but risky form of RA known as rheumatoid lung disease (RLD).

 RLD symptoms vary, but most commonly include shortness of breath, a dry cough, and chest discomfort. As the disease worsens, it can lead to more serious outcomes such as rheumatoid arthritis swollen lymph nodes, causing chest pain.

5.      Mental Health Problems

Rheumatoid arthritis can also give rise to mental health problems. These problems occur due to the collective interplay of psychological, biological, and social parameters as stated by National Center for Biological Information. These intricate mental health problems may include,

• Anxiety: Excessive pain, and inability to move initiates the feeling of hopelessness and frustration in a person, further contributing to depression and anxiety.

• Cognitive Impairment: People with RA may experience “brain fog”. This condition involves symptoms such as memory loss, difficulty in paying attention, and processing information.

• Sleep Difficulties: RA may interfere with the sleep patterns of a person. It can make falling asleep at night difficult.

6.      Snoring

Snoring is another unusual symptom of rheumatoid arthritis that happens due to obstruction of airways. Rheumatoid arthritis can induce inflammation in the cervical spine, which partially blocks the airways during sleep, causing snoring.

7.      Temporary Numbness in Fingers and Toes

Temporary Numbness in fingers and toes occurs due to peripheral neuropathy and inflammation in the nerves that carry signals to and from brain to different parts of the body. In rheumatoid arthritis, these nerves can become compressed, and damaged causing temporary numbness in finger and toes. As a result, tremors in hand can also occur.

8.      Hearing Abnormalities

In some cases, RA can give rise to hearing problems. The most common hearing dysfunctions include:

• Tinnitus: Inflammation in the auditory system produces strange buzzing, or ringing sounds in the ear.

• Sensorineural Hearing loss: RA-linked inflammation damages the tiny hair cells in the cochlea causing permanent hearing loss in both ears.

• Autoimmune Inner Ear Disorder: In this condition, immune cells mistakenly attack the inner structure of the ear, responsible for hearing.

9.      Gastrointestinal Problems

RA can cause various gastrointestinal problems as an unusual symptom. Here are some of the gastrointestinal problems than rheumatoid arthritis may cause:

• Gastroparesis: It is a condition in which stomach muscles weaken causing delay in stomach emptying. Symptoms of Gastroparesis involve nausea, bloating, and vomiting.

• Inflammatory Bowel Disease: Rheumatoid arthritis increases the risk of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). According to Medical News Today , abdominal pain, diarrhea, and weight loss are some of the symptoms that IBD shows.

• Dysphagia: This affects the tissues present in the throat, and esophagus, which makes swallowing of food difficult.

• Perforation or Bleeding: Chronic inflammation in case of RA weakens the gastrointestinal lining, leading to ulcers or bleeding in the stomach and intestine.