Stages of
Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA)
Progression and Stages of Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA)
Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) disease course typically follows three possible paths:<sup>1</sup>
There is one episode that does not reoccur. It does not last more than 2-5 years of initial diagnosis.
Here, the disease severity varies as the condition progresses.
Condition continues to become more severe and there is no remission (period of no-disease)
Stages of Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA)
RA is also divided into ‘stages,’ for clinical purposes. The different stages of RA are based on progressive activity and changes that take place in the body internally and externally.<sup>2,3</sup>
Mild
No destructive changes on X-rays – Early stage with initial symptoms of swelling
Moderate
Presence of X-ray evidence –
Pain and loss of mobility
Severe
X-ray evidence of cartilage and bone destruction in addition to joint deformity and osteoporosis –
Bone erosion, muscle weakness
Terminal
Presence of bony or fibrous ankylosis along with stage 3 features –
End-stage RA, bones are fused together
Mild
No destructive changes on X-rays – Early stage with initial symptoms of swelling
Moderate
Presence of X-ray evidence –
Pain and loss of mobility
Severe
X-ray evidence of cartilage and bone destruction in addition to joint deformity and osteoporosis –
Bone erosion, muscle weakness
Terminal
Presence of bony or fibrous ankylosis along with stage 3 features –
End-stage RA, bones are fused together
References –
- InformedHealth.org [Internet]. Cologne, Germany: Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health Care (IQWiG); 2006-. Rheumatoid arthritis: Overview. 2013 Oct 23 [Updated 2016 Aug 11]. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK384455/.
- Chauhan K, Jandu JS, Goyal A, et al. Rheumatoid Arthritis. [Updated 2020 Feb 26]. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2020 Jan-. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK441999/.
- Lovering C. Four stages and progression of rheumatoid arthritis. Available from https://www.healthline.com/health/rheumatoid-arthritis/stages-and-progression. Accessed on 17 December 2019.
