You can get rheumatoid arthritis (RA) at any age, but it's most likely to show up between ages 30 and 50. When it starts between ages 60 and 65, it's called elderly-onset RA or late-onset RA. Elderly-onset RA is different from RA that starts in earlier years. It also comes with a separate set of treatment challenges.
What are usually the first signs of rheumatoid arthritis?
The early warning signs of RA include:
- Fatigue. Before experiencing any other symptoms, a person with RA may feel extremely tired and lack energy. ...
- Slight fever. Inflammation associated with RA may cause people to feel unwell and feverish. ...
- Weight loss. ...
- Stiffness. ...
- Joint tenderness. ...
- Joint pain. ...
- Joint swelling. ...
- Joint redness.
Does rheumatoid arthritis come on suddenly?
In a few people with RA -- about 5% to 10% -- the disease starts suddenly, and then they have no symptoms for many years, even decades. Symptoms that come and go. This happens to about 15% of people with rheumatoid arthritis. You may have periods of few or no problems that can last months between flare-ups.
