Rheumatoid arthritis is a critical health issue across the world and particularly affects females more than males.

The disease can develop at any stage in life but is projected to develop mainly in middle-aged individuals that are between the ages of 30 and 60 years.

Karetrip is here with a blog to help you understand the symptoms of RA, especially in females so that a correct diagnosis of the disease can be made early and treatment commenced.

General signs of RA in women

1. Joint Pain and Stiffness

• Morning Stiffness: The main characteristics of RA include stiffness of the joints during the morning or after a long time of inactivity. Unless the muscles have been exercised to soften the stiffness, which might take an hour or more.
• Joint Pain: Pain tends first of all, to involve the smaller joints, which are those in the hands and feet. It progressively moves to other body parts involving the affected joints like the knees, shoulders and hips.
• Symmetrical Symptoms: RA usually impacts the paired organs, or the limbs’ corresponding sides, at the same time. For example, the affection of one wrist means that the other wrist will also be affected to some degree.

2. Swelling and Redness

• Inflammation: Depending on the stages of disease the involved joint may show pain, swelling, slight increase in temperature and tenderness.
• Redness: It is possible to note the redness over the affected joints which suggests current inflammation of the joint.

3. Fatigue

• Chronic Fatigue: Cognitive and physical functions for example fatigue are significantly affected resulting in chronic fatigue which is a common thing among women with RA. This fatigue is not a simple tiredness but a condition where one feels extremely weak and their tiredness does not disappear with the intention of getting some rest.
• Impact on Daily Activities: Musculoskeletal fatigue has detrimental effects on the quality of life in patients with RA, due to the limitations in carrying out the normal and activities of daily living.

4. Fever and Malaise

• Low-grade Fever: It was noted that some women with RA have low grade fever, pointing to the fact that the body is actively resisting inflammation.
• General Malaise: Physical wellbeing is affected and a general feeling of being unwell or flu-like is often experienced thus adding to the effect of tiredness and sickness.

Significant Types of Symptoms among Women with RA

1. Hormonal Influences

• Hormonal Fluctuations: It was found that the occurrences of menstruation, pregnancy, and menopause affected RA due to the hormonal fluctuations that occurred in the affected individuals’ bodies. For example, some women found their RA becoming less severe during pregnancy and then worsening during the postpartum period.
• Menopause: Moreover, global studies have shown that the onset of menopause may provoke the worsening of RA symptoms because oestrogen reduces inflammation.

2. Changes on Daily Life as Well as Mental Health

• Psychological Impact: These symptoms create a basis for mental health disorders like anxiety and depression because of the pain and exhaustion one endures. Women with RA may be affected more severely than men since various responsibilities are imposed on them by society.
• Role Strain: However, managing work-family balance, in addition to one’s own health, can be daunting for women, which in turn may increase stress, hence, the RA symptoms.

3. Comorbid Conditions

• Osteoporosis: For the women with RA, the chances of developing osteoporosis, which is a condition where bones become weaker and brittle than they should be, are also higher. This risk is escalating by the usage of corticosteroids, a regular medication in RA patients.
• Cardiovascular Disease: It has furthermore been found that RA elevates the likelihood of cardiovascular diseases and that this is more peculiar to female RA patients given the relationship between inflammation in the body and heart health.

Less frequent symptoms

1. Rheumatoid Nodules

• Subcutaneous Nodules: They are firm lumps that occur just beneath the skin most commonly near the bend of a joint such as the elbow. While most of the time they are non–painful they can still be considered as a clinical feature of RA.

2. Eye Involvement

• Dry Eyes: RA that is accompanied by Sjögren’s syndrome can also result in eye dryness. This can cause itching, sandy-feelings in the eyes and other related complications such as;
• Inflammation: With regards to the eye involvement, RA patients are predisposed to ocular inflammatory diseases such as scleritis, an inflammation of the white part of the eye, and uveitis, or the inflammation of the middle layer of the eye.

3. Lung Involvement

• Interstitial Lung Disease: Such results are noticed like in RA that has caused inflammation and fibrosis of the lung tissue and the patient must present symptoms of cough and dyspnoea.
• Pleural Effusion: Pleural effusion which is the buildup of fluids around the lungs is also possible.

4. Vasculitis

• Blood Vessel Inflammation: RA can also cause vasculitis that may affect skin, nerves and various other tissues of the body.

Diagnosis and monitoring of RA in women

1. Clinical Evaluation

• Medical History: It becomes the duty of the clinician to enquire in detail about the duration and pattern of the patient’s symptoms from the patient or any prior attested medical records.
• Physical Examination: Tapping with the fingers on the joint to feel for heat, pain and stiffness.

2. Laboratory Tests

• Rheumatoid Factor (RF): Lukewarm RF test can assist in establishing the diagnosis of RA but this test is not conclusive.
• Anti-Cyclic Citrullinated Peptide (anti-CCP): This antibody is higher specific for RA and thus helps to support the diagnosis.
• Erythrocyte Sedimentation Rate (ESR) and C-Reactive Protein (CRP): These are markers that show that the body is inflamed in some ways or the other.

3. Imaging Studies

• X-rays and MRI: X-ray, MRI, and CT can establish joint abnormalities characteristic of RA.
• Ultrasound: By visualisation of the joint it is possible to identify inflammation together with joint irregularities not displaying during X-rays.

Management and Treatment

1. Medications

• Disease-Modifying Antirheumatic Drugs (DMARDs): There are drugs like methotrexate that although they do not cure the disease, they help in retarding its action.
• Biologics: These are a relatively newer group of DMARDs that function by acting on particular aspects of immunity.
• Nonsteroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs (NSAIDs) and Corticosteroids: These are employed in the control of pain and inflammation.

2. Lifestyle Modifications

• Exercise: To keep the joints as well as the rest of the body fit, low-intensity exercises practised on a daily basis are useful.
• Diet: Anti-inflammatory foods are good for the human body and a balanced diet is also good for the people with the following symptoms.
• Stress Management: It means that exercise such as yoga, meditation and counselling helps in handling stress and general well-being of the mental health.

3. Surgical Interventions

• Joint Replacement: In very dire conditions, people with arthritis may opt for surgery in an effort to get back their mobility and or relieve them of painsay through joint replacement.

Rheumatoid arthritis is a systemic disorder and extremely chronic affecting the lives of the affected individuals, most especially the female gender.

The major points of RA’s early signs, detailed diagnosis, and individual treatment strategies make it possible to cope with the disease. This paper continues the research of women with RA to reveal the possibilities for improving the support process and outcomes.

Hence, when the physical as well as the psychological dimensions of the disease have been considered, RA improves the lives of women with the disease.