Black Folk’s Guide to the Four Stages of RA

While some studies suggest that Black Americans get rheumatoid arthritis (RA) at around the same rate as white people, some doctors are concerned that might not be the case. One possible reason is that fewer Black people are included in randomized studies or clinical trials. In any case, many Black Americans don’t get diagnosed at the early stages of RA and might suffer from the effects of the disease’s progression.  The Stages of RA 1. Early-stage RA The symptoms of early-stage RA usually aren’t as noticeable as the later ones so it’s rare for the disease to be diagnosed at this point. However, if it is, the disease is more likely to go into remission with continuous treatment. Some of the symptoms you see at this stage include mild joint pain, slight swelling, and moderate fatigue. Though the tissue around your joints may swell, there’s no damage to the joints at this stage. You may receive non-steroidal inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) to manage pain and swelling as well as antirheumatic drugs to suppress your immune system.  2. Moderate-stage RA At this stage, tissue inflammation starts to cause damage to your joint cartilage and bone. That’s why you start to experience joint...