A lot of people with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) report having trouble with memory, attention, and mental focus. They forget names and appointments, struggle to find the right words and have trouble making and carrying out plans.
Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is associated with various nonarticular manifestations, including a range of neurologic abnormalities, such as cervical spine instability, compressive neuropathy (eg, of the median nerve at the wrist, which results in carpal tunnel syndrome [CTS]), and an often subclinical sensory or ...
Answer: Occasionally headaches can occur as a result of osteoarthritis (OA) high in the neck where the spine meets the skull, but that is unusual. Because you say pain relievers do not help, I suspect you may be experiencing rebound headaches, also called medication-overuse or toxic headaches.
Arthritis Headaches Symptoms
Unlike a normal headache, a neck arthritis headache typically begins with pain in your neck. From there, the pain will move up the back of your head until it reaches the top. In addition, the pain will usually be worse on one side of your head, and you won't have pain in your temple region.
Remember, RA causes your body's immune system to attack the lining between your joints, which causes inflammation and swelling. That swelling can alter the way the nerves in your brain communicate. Inflammation in the brain, with or without other RA-related neurologic changes, can lead to brain fog.
A lot of people with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) report having trouble with memory, attention, and mental focus. They forget names and appointments, struggle to find the right words and have trouble making and carrying out plans.
Benefits of an MRI
MRI is the most effective way to diagnose problems within any joint and the image sensitivity makes it the most accurate imaging tool available in detecting arthritis and other inflammatory changes.
MRI scans are a powerful tool for diagnosing arthritis, as they are more sensitive than traditional X-rays and ultrasound imaging. MRI is more expensive than some other imaging tests, so some clinics may only use it in clinical trials or for evaluating particular conditions, such as spondyloarthritis.
If you have psoriatic arthritis, you may be dealing with joint pain, stiffness, and swelling. For some patients, there's yet another symptom to add to the list: a type of dizziness called vertigo. “With vertigo, your body stops but your head continues to spin, making you feel dizzy and off-balance,” says Harris H.
Osteoarthritis most commonly affects the hands, lower back, neck, and weight-bearing joints such as knees, hips, and feet.
The most common symptoms of brain inflammation are brain fog, forgetting things, and having trouble focusing. While most brain inflammation is not a life-threatening condition, chronic inflammation can be very frustrating to deal with as brain function is typically reduced.
Normally, your immune system helps protect your body from infection and disease. In rheumatoid arthritis, your immune system attacks healthy tissue in your joints. It can also cause medical problems with your heart, lungs, nerves, eyes and skin.
Chronic pain in osteoarthritis changes the brain and imparts a unique “signature” of morphologic or functional characteristics in the brain that may have future clinical implications, according to research presented at the 2011 ACR/ARHP Annual Scientific Meeting held in Chicago in November.
The most common triggers of an OA flare are overdoing an activity or trauma to the joint. Other triggers can include bone spurs, stress, repetitive motions, cold weather, a change in barometric pressure, an infection or weight gain. Psoriatic arthritis (PsA) is an inflammatory disease that affects the skin and joints.
Often prescribed with acetaminophen, NSAIDs such as aspirin, ibuprofen, and naproxen are considered first-line medications for neck pain. They relieve both pain and swelling and may be prescribed for a number of weeks, depending on your specific symptoms.
It may be related to wear and tear, autoimmune disorders, infection and other conditions. Sometimes, the inflammation may also affect the sites where ligaments and tendons attach to the bones of the spine. Regardless of the exact location, arthritis in the back or neck can be painful and often becomes chronic.
Blood tests
No blood test can definitively prove or rule out a diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis, but several tests can show indications of the condition. Some of the main blood tests used include: erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) – which can help assess levels of inflammation in the body.
Arthritis affects a person's overall function and mobility, which can result in activity and other limitations. It is a leading cause of work disability among US adults.
Frequent age-related comorbidities and physical inactivity in osteoarthritis patients increase risk for Alzheimer's disease, vascular dementia, and cognitive impairment.
Some people eventually make a full recovery from encephalitis, although this can be a long and frustrating process. Many people never make a full recovery and are left with long-term problems caused by damage to their brain.