3. Rheumatoid arthritis
Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is an autoimmune disease that can cause joint pain and damage throughout your body. According to the Arthritis Foundation, there are more than one hundred different forms of arthritis and arthritis-related diseases and the vast majority of them have similar symptoms.
“Rheumatoid arthritis, in particular, feels very similar to osteoarthritis, in terms of discomfort,” says Dr. Colvin. If you have close relatives with rheumatoid arthritis, you should talk to your doctor about the probability of developing this condition. “RA often runs in families,” says Dr. Colvin.