Over 1.5 million Americans suffer from rheumatoid arthritis.[1] Signs and symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis may include:
- Tender, warm, swollen joints
- Morning stiffness that may last for hours
- Firm bumps of tissue under the skin on your arms (rheumatoid nodules)
- Fatigue, fever and weight loss
Early rheumatoid arthritis tends to affect your smaller joints first — particularly the joints that attach your fingers to your hands and your toes to your feet.
As the disease progresses, symptoms often spread to the wrists, knees, ankles, elbows, hips and shoulders. In most cases, symptoms occur in the same joints on both sides of your body.
Rheumatoid arthritis signs and symptoms may vary in severity and may even come and go. Periods of increased disease activity, called flares, alternate with periods of relative remission — when the swelling and pain fade or disappear. Over time, rheumatoid arthritis can cause joints to deform and shift out of place.[2]
These symptoms can be debilitating, and even when individuals receive proper care and medications, they may still find themselves unable to work. If you have been diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis and are unable to perform your job, you may qualify for Social Security Disability (SSDI) or Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits.
Please contact the Disability Attorneys of Arizona for a free consultation. You will speak to an experienced Social Security Disability attorney that will walk you through the process and answer any questions that you have. The Disability Attorneys of Arizona specialize in representing individuals in front of the Social Security Administration and handle cases throughout the entire State of Arizona. Call 800-975-1866 today to talk to with an Arizona Social Security Lawyer!
[1] http://www.cdc.gov/arthritis/basics/rheumatoid.htm#5
[2] http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/rheumatoid-arthritis/basics/symptoms/con-20014868