Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) is an inflammatory joint disease that affects millions of adults, usually appearing between the ages of 40 and 60. While this affliction can present in dozens of different ways and requires a professional physician to properly diagnose, there are several symptoms that occur in most patients at some point in the diseases' progression. Men and women suffering from the symptoms described in this guide may find that rheumatoid arthritis is the culprit.Rheumatoid arthritis starts out small.The earliest indications of RA often include difficulty in performing small or precise movements with ones' hands and wrists. Older adults may notice their hands feeling clumsy when attempting even simple tasks, such as opening jars or tying shoes. Pain and soreness in the hands and feet, especially in the morning hours, are another sign that joints are strained. Joints may also appear red, swollen or tender to the touch.Later developments.As RA progresses, pain and stiffness become more severe; increased inflammation damages tissues and bone, reducing flexibility and increasing irritation in affected joints. Further complications can develop as inflammation spreads to larger organs, causing dryness of the eyes and mouth, chest pains, trouble breathing, pinched nerves and rheumatoid nodules (lumps beneath the skin at frequently moving joints).Dormancy makes diagnois difficult.It is important to realize that rheumatoid arthritis does not usually produce a continuous display of symptoms, making it easy to incorrectly identify certain effects as having non-chronic origins. RA can lie dormant for years in between episodes of inflammation, known as "flares"; treatment is still recommended to slow the degenerative process of RA even when patients are not experiencing active symptoms.Rheumatoid arthritis remains a chronic condition even during periods when no symptoms are visibly occurring. While rheumatoid arthritis is a common and potentially debilitating condition, with proper attention to the symptoms described here it is possible to diagnose and treat RA early on in the diseases' progression, ensuring the least possible damage to joints, muscles and bones.