Rheumatoid Arthritis and Inflammation of Organs
Rheumatoid arthritis is a systemic disease, meaning it can affect the entire body. In addition to the joints and muscles, RA can cause problems in many other areas of the body:
- Eyes and mouth: inflammation of the glands in the eyes and mouth causes dryness, and a condition called Sjögren's syndrome. It can also lead to inflammation of the white part of the eye (scleritis).
- Lungs: inflammation of the lung lining (pleuritis) or the lungs themselves can cause shortness of breath and chest pain.
- Heart: inflammation of the tissue surrounding the heart (pericarditis) can cause chest pain, which tends to be worse when lying down. RA patients are also at greater risk for heart attacks.
- Spleen: inflammation of the spleen (Felty's syndrome) can cause a decrease in white blood cells, which raises the risk of infections.
- Skin: firm lumps under the skin (rheumatoid nodules), typically located around affected joints, often on pressure points such as elbows, fingers, and knuckles.
- Blood vessels: inflammation of the blood vessels (vasculitis) can limit blood supply to surrounding tissues, causing tissue death (necrosis).
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