Rheumatoid arthritis could move beyond joints to attack lungs, heart, and eyes

Many people mistake rheumatoid arthritis (RA) as a simple arthritis that only affects bones and joints. However, rheumatoid arthritis is a disease that attacks the whole body, not simple arthritis.

“Rheumatoid arthritis is a systemic disease that can attack the entire body beyond bones and joints, including the lungs, heart, blood vessels, and eyes,” said Professor Kim Wan-uk of the Department of Rheumatology at the Catholic University of Korea Seoul St. Mary's Hospital on the “Seoul St. Mary's Hospital TV.”

Among systemic diseases, rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune disease caused by an abnormality in the body's immune system.

“Immune cells attack your joints, causing inflammation,” Professor Kim explained. “This inflammation can attack many body parts, not just the joints.” That explains why early detection and treatment is so important, Kim added.

So, how do you know if you have rheumatoid arthritis?

“When you wake up in the morning and your finger or toe joints are stiff and hard to move, it's called early morning stiffness, one of the typical symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis,” Kim said. “If you have early morning stiffness lasting more than an hour or joint pain, swelling, or heat for more than six weeks, you should suspect rheumatoid arthritis and visit a rheumatologist for an accurate diagnosis.”

Treating rheumatoid arthritis used to be very difficult, but not anymore.

“RA used to be very difficult to treat, but there have been revolutionary advances in the last 20 years,” Kim noted. “Targeted therapies have been developed that can treat RA very effectively without side effects. Unlike before, these advanced therapies allow most patients to function well within a month or two without significantly disrupting their daily lives.”

However, there is one important aspect of RA treatment that should not be overlooked: the perception that rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic disease that requires lifelong treatment, like hypertension and diabetes.

“Treating rheumatoid arthritis is like a marathon, not a 100-meter dash,” Professor Kim emphasized. “Many people think that rheumatoid medications are toxic, so they often stop taking them arbitrarily when their symptoms improve, but this should never be the case. Like hypertension or diabetes, it's crucial to take your medication consistently and manage it.”