Lori

“One of the facts that has been confirmed over the past decade of research is the higher incidence of cardiovascular deaths compared with the general population . 167 While little is known about why, the mortality gap has widened for people with rheumatoid disease. 168 Lifespan is estimated to be shortened by five to fifteen years. Some reports show mortality for PRD is not improving overall, 169 , 170 , 171 , 172 while others show mortality improvement with substantial disparities between populations.”
― Kelly O'Neill Young, Rheumatoid Arthritis Unmasked: 10 Dangers of Rheumatoid Disease

“1. Oral Involvement 2. Laryngeal Involvement 3. Cardiovascular Involvement 4. Skin: rashes, vitiligo, Raynaud’s 5. Constitutional symptoms: including fever, fatigue, and muscle wasting (cachexia), infections 6. Rheumatoid vasculitis and blood vessel disease 7. Lung Involvement 8. Kidney involvement 9. Eye involvement 10. Other organs: including spleen, liver, lymph system, gut KEY POINTS 1. Some symptoms and antibodies can precede diagnosis over 10 years. 2. Many studies indicate RD begins in the lungs, before joint symptoms are diagnosable. 3. RD is often called an “invisible”illness because symptoms are not obvious to casual observers. 4. Doctors must be more aware that systemic symptoms like fatigue may indicate serious problems. 5. Extra-articular disease has been proven to affect most PRD, but is still not widely recognized. 6. Acknowledging rheumatoid disease that exists beyond and before joint inflammation (arthritis) could bring a) Improved care for lower mortality b) Improved research for better treatments c) Improved diagnosis for increased remissions”
― Kelly O'Neill Young, Rheumatoid Arthritis Unmasked: 10 Dangers of Rheumatoid Disease