title: Beyond the joints: neurological involvement in rheumatoid arthritis.
abstract: Although arthritis is the most notable component, rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a systemic inflammatory disorder where extra-articular manifestations are common; among them, central and peripheral nervous system involvement is frequent and associated with significant morbidity and, in some cases, reduced life span. It may produce a myriad of symptoms and signs ranging from subtle numbness in a hand, to quadriparesis and sudden death. Central and peripheral neurologic manifestations may arise from structural damage produced by RA in diarthroidal joints, by the systemic inflammatory process of the disease itself or by the drugs used to treat it. Neurologic syndromes may appear suddenly or developed slowly through months, and emerge early or after years of having RA. Neurologic manifestations may be easily overlooked or incorrectly assigned to peripheral arthritis unless the attending physician is aware of these complications. In this article, we review neurologic involvement in RA patients with emphasis on clinical approach for early detection.
authors.affiliation: Unidad de Investigación en Enfermedades Crónico-Degenerativas, Guadalajara, Mexico. rramos@cencar.udg.mx
authors.forename: Cesar
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Ramos-Remus
authors.forename: Sergio
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Duran-Barragan
authors.forename: Jose Dionisio
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Castillo-Ortiz
mesh_terms: D018501:Antirheumatic Agents / Q000009:adverse effects; D001172:Arthritis, Rheumatoid / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000453:epidemiology*; D001342:Autonomic Nervous System Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D002493:Central Nervous System Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology; D015897:Comorbidity; D042241:Early Diagnosis; D006801:Humans; D010523:Peripheral Nervous System Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology
chemical_list: D018501:Antirheumatic Agents