I think one of the things that shocked me the most when I started learning about RD (Rheumatoid Disease) was the fact that it was “systemic”.

Okay, so I didn’t really even know what that word meant.

It the case of the human body, and rheumatoid disease (RD), “systemic” means that all bets are off. Pretty much all of the major body parts and control centers can be attacked. Think about the movies Independence Day, or The War of the Worlds, or Signs – any alien civilization worth their salt will start their campaign off by attacking the world’s major cities and population centers.

So it can be with RD. Rheumatoid Disease can strike directly at the heart, the lungs, the kidneys, or the eyes, over the progression of the disease, or sometimes within the first year of diagnosis. Sometimes, it can conduct a sneak attack and hit these areas without warning, like a Japanese Zero aiming for the fleet at Pearl Harbor.

For many people, the first signs of RD are pulmonary in nature, or cardiac, or, as in my case, can be related to the larynx and chest wall. Not everyone presents with the “gold standard” (as my GP put it) of red, hot, swollen joints in the hands or feet.

Regardless of what the initial symptoms look like, RD is truly a systemic illness. Along with the pain, fatigue and joint damage that can come with an autoimmune disease, RD can impact the following parts of the human body:

• Heart and Blood Vessels
• Lungs
• Nervous System
• Bones
• Liver
• Kidneys
• Larynx
• Skin
• Eyes
• Mouth

I have two personal takeaways from all of this.

The first is for myself to be more aware. If and when I experience health issues in the future, I will definitely want to seek out doctors who are knowledgeable about RD and understand the impacts that it can have on the rest of my body. For example, if I have significant chest pain, I’ll probably be less likely to ignore it now, knowing that “RA patients are twice as likely to experience unrecognized heart attacks and sudden cardiac deaths”.

The second takeaway involves helping others to become more aware. The media typically and incorrectly describes “rheumatoid arthritis” as a fairly benign illness that merely causes pain and stiffness in the joints in the morning, upon first waking up. This definition of RD is not just incorrect, but to anyone dealing with this illness it’s downright insulting. Misinformation makes it more difficult for people with Rheumatoid Disease to communicate what they are going through to their family, friends, and (gasp!) even their doctors.

Kelly Young over at RA Warrior has a great fact sheet about how the media gets it wrong with RA.

Notes:

“Rheumatoid Arthritis.” Mayo Clinic, Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research, 1 Mar. 2019, http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/rheumatoid-arthritis/symptoms-causes/syc-20353648.