Does a high rheumatoid factor mean rheumatoid arthritis? What are the symptoms?

Rheumatism is a common disease among the elderly. Almost all elderly people will suffer from rheumatism, but the degree of the disease varies. Rheumatism is mainly caused by the rheumatoid factor in the body. Therefore, many people think that as long as the rheumatoid factor in the body is high, it is a manifestation of rheumatoid. This is a correct statement. Let’s take a look at whether a high rheumatoid factor means rheumatoid and what are its manifestations?

(1) Morning stiffness is the subjective feeling of inflexibility of joints when getting up in the morning. It is a non-specific manifestation of joint inflammation, and its duration is proportional to the severity of the inflammation.

(2) Manifestations of joint involvement ① Multiple joint involvement presents as symmetrical polyarthritis (usually ≥ 5 joints). The joints that are easily affected include the hands, feet, wrists, ankles and temporomandibular joints, and others may include the elbows, shoulders, cervical vertebrae, hips, knees, etc. ② The deformities of the hand with joint deformity include fusiform swelling, ulnar deviation, swan neck deformity, buttonhole deformity, etc. Foot deformities include calcaneal deformity caused by downward subluxation of the metatarsal head, valgus deformity, metatarsophalangeal joint subluxation, hammer toe and valgus deformity. ③Other conditions may include carpal tunnel/tarsal tunnel syndrome caused by compression of the median nerve/posterior tibial nerve, fluid accumulation in the knee joint cavity that squeezes into the posterior side of the joint to form a popliteal cyst (Baker cyst), involvement of the cervical vertebrae (most commonly the 2nd and 3rd cervical vertebrae) with neck pain, neck weakness and difficulty maintaining its normal position, atlantoaxial joint subluxation, and corresponding manifestations of spinal cord compression and vertebral basilar artery insufficiency.

(3) Extra-articular manifestations ① General manifestations may include fever, rheumatoid nodules (organizing granulomas, associated with high titer RF, severe joint destruction and RA activity, often occurring in joint prominences such as the elbows, olecranon processes, sacrum and other joints and areas frequently subjected to pressure), rheumatoid vasculitis (necrotizing arteriolar inflammation that mainly affects small arteries and can manifest as necrosis of the finger and toe tips, skin ulcers, peripheral neuropathy, etc.) and lymphadenopathy.