This rheumatic condition presents some common symptoms but its course throughout a patient's lifetime varies greatly from patient to patient.
The difference from person to person is an essential aspect to bear in mind; for example, when I was diagnosed (at only 14) I was presented a gloomy future but, instead, over the years I witnessed how my rheumatic condition presented itself in my specific case, and how it developed over the years in a unique manner.
It may have to do with one's DNA and one's own body response and it may also reflect how one tackles it, what one eats, how one exercises, what one does to minimize the impact and effects of This condition one one's body.
The following are generalisations of the disease symptoms.
Throughout one's life, there are episodes (short or long) when the condition is active (referred to as 'flare ups').
Then there are stages or periods of time when this condition is in 'remission' and the patient is free from symptoms.
In my experience, I can safely say that since I started using homeopathy, alternative medicine has allowed me to be in the 'remission' stage of this disease for most of the time.
The only exceptions have mostly been triggered by traumatic events or highly stressful periods; at those times all I had to do is to go back to homeopathy and the symptoms disappeared again with very little homeopathic treatment.
Bearing in mind that the course of the disease varies from person to person, the following can be described as the most common symptoms during the active stage of this rheumatic condition:

• --Joint stiffness
• --Reduced joint range of motion
• --Muscle pain
• --Mild fever
• --Anaemia
• --Mild to Extreme) Fatigue
• --Joint swelling
• --Joint pain
• --Redness and inflammation of the skin around the affected joints
• --Joints affected are usually joints of the hands, of the feet, the elbows, the ankles, the knees, sometimes several joints at the same times, other times one at a time, some times symmetrically and other times only one side.
  
• --Round nodules under the skin of the affected areas
• --Lung inflammation
• --Swollen glands
• --Joint deformities

Best Ways to Diagnose This condition Following are the common tests done to diagnose RA:

• --X-ray of the affected joint (this is how I was diagnosed; it was very clean and unequivocal)
• --ESR (Erythrocyte Sedimentation Rate)
• -- C-Reactive proteins (CRP)
• --CBC (Complete blood count)
• --RA factor

Homeopathic treatment: There are two main homeopathic approaches to This condition; I have mentioned this on other pages of this website (see the list of topics and sub-topics on the left or on top of any page).
In summary, the two main 'schools' of Homeopathy adopt either a constitutional approach (read more on this on the page titled 'how homeopathy works) or a 'practical' (or contemporary) approach; in my opinion and experience, the best homeopaths are able to mix both approaches in a way that best suit each individual patient.
It was certainly what worked best for me.
For best results, it is always advisable to consult a good homeopath before deformities begin, but even then pain and stiffness can easily be controlled with homeopathy.
With the right homeopathic remedies and dosages you can definitely put the disease back into remission either indefinitely or for longer and longer periods of time, with perhaps occasional relapses that can be resolved by further homeopathic treatments.
To this date, I have not resorted to any pharmaceuticals and, as I mentioned, I was diagnosed at 14 years of age (so, almost 26 years ago!).
If you have been diagnosed with this rheumatic condition or you suffer from some or most of the symptoms highlighted above, you may need to know how to avoid the later stage deformities by finding out what you can do now to treat this disease and send it to remission.
You can read this on NEW ARTHRITIC REMEDIES