Arthritis Arthritis Can Be a Systemic Disease Organs May Be Affected By Carol Eustice facebook Carol Eustice is a writer covering arthritis and chronic illness, who herself has been diagnosed with both rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis. Learn about our editorial process Carol Eustice Medically reviewed by Medically reviewed by Grant Hughes, MD on November 08, 2019 linkedin Grant Hughes, MD, is board-certified in rheumatology and is the head of rheumatology at Seattle's Harborview Medical Center. Learn about our Medical Review Board Grant Hughes, MD on November 08, 2019 Print When you think about arthritis, you likely think of a disease that affects the joints. However, some types of arthritis may have extra-articular manifestations, meaning that the disease affects areas of the body other than the joints. When this occurs, especially in multiple organ systems of the body, the arthritic disease is said to have systemic effects or is referred to as a systemic disease. Yuri_Arcurs / Getty Images Types Types of arthritis that are classified as systemic diseases include: Rheumatoid arthritisLupus erythematosusJuvenile arthritisPsoriatic arthritisVasculitisSclerodermaSjogren's syndrome Osteoarthritis is not considered a systemic disease because it affects only the joints and not other organ systems. Symptoms When arthritis affects the whole body, people may experience a wide range of symptoms. Examples of extra-articular involvement include: FeverFatigueWeaknessAnemiaNodulesDry eyesDry mouthPulmonary fibrosisPleural effusion (excessive amount of fluid in the lungs)Nerve problemsGastrointestinal complicationsSkin complicationsKidney disease That's just a sampling from a more extensive list of possible systemic effects which can occur with arthritis and related rheumatic diseases. In fact, extra-articular manifestations can develop even when there is little active joint involvement. People may experience minimal joint pain, yet also experience a number of system-wide symptoms. Risk Factors Not all rheumatoid arthritis patients develop complications outside of the joints. Patients are more likely to develop systemic complications if they are strongly positive for rheumatoid factor. Patients with rheumatoid arthritis may also experience symptoms that involve the cardiovascular and respiratory systems. As you might expect, rheumatoid arthritis patients with systemic complications tend to do worse than those without such complications (i.e. prognosis is worse with systemic involvement). Causes Since we know some rheumatoid arthritis patients will develop only joint disease while others will develop systemic disease, you may be wondering why. That is a tough question, like asking why a person gets rheumatoid arthritis at all. According to rheumatologist Scott J. Zashin, M.D., there is likely a mix of genetics and environmental factors that contribute to why certain cases of rheumatoid arthritis are systemic. The risk of systemic disease is greatly increased when a patient has anti-CCP or rheumatoid factor antibodies -- the presence of which is influenced by environmental factors, like smoking, and a person's genetic makeup. A Word From Verywell There are over 100 types of arthritis. While we do not know for sure why some people experience joint pain and others develop systemic disease, we do know that systemic involvement is more likely with inflammatory types of arthritis. For example, chronic systemic inflammation can be indirectly linked to causes of death in rheumatoid arthritis due to serious infections, cardiovascular disease, lymphoma, and accelerated atherosclerosis. Systemic disease is serious. Appropriate treatment focused on bringing inflammation under control is essential. Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Dealing with chronic inflammation? An anti-inflammatory diet can help. Our free recipe guide shows you the best foods to fight inflammation. Get yours today! Sign Up You're in! Thank you, {{form.email}}, for signing up. There was an error. Please try again. What are your concerns? Other Inaccurate Hard to Understand Submit Article Sources Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy. Johns Hopkins Arthritis Center. Rheumatoid Arthritis Signs and Symptoms. Ruffing and Bingham. Updated 01/13/16. Kelley's Textbook of Rheumatology. Ninth edition. Elsevier. Part 18. Arthritis Accompanying Systemic Disease. Primer on the Rheumatic Diseases. Arthritis Foundation. 13th Edition. Rheumatoid Arthritis: Early Diagnosis and Treatment. Cush, Weinblatt, Kavanaugh. Chapters 2 and 3. Professional Communications, Inc. Third edition.