Joint Pain

• The primary symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis are pain, swelling, stiffness and redness of the joints.
  
  

Pain Symmetry

• Often the same joint on either side of the body is affected.
  
  

Other Connective Tissue Pain

• In addition to joint pain, sufferers of rheumatoid arthritis may also have muscle, tendon or ligament pain.
  
  

Flare-ups

• The symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis can appear and disappear again for a while until another flare-up occurs.
  
  

Other Symptoms

• Fatigue, weight loss and a low-grade fever can also be signs of rheumatoid arthritis, and in the absence of joint pain can be mistaken for other diseases. These symptoms also differentiate rheumatoid arthritis from age-related arthritis.