Rheumatoid arthritis most commonly involves which joints in a symmetrical pattern?

Rheumatoid arthritis most commonly involves which joints in a symmetrical pattern?

• A. Large weight-bearing joints
• B. Small joints of the hands, wrists, and feet
• C. Only the spine
• D. Shoulder joints only

Answer: (B)

Rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune inflammatory arthritis that classically targets synovial joints in a symmetric pattern. The most characteristic early involvement is the small joints of the hands and feet—the metacarpophalangeal and proximal interphalangeal joints, along with the wrists and sometimes the metatarsophalangeal joints. This symmetry happens because the immune process affects joints on both sides of the body in parallel. Larger weight-bearing joints and the spine can be affected later or less prominently, but they don’t define the typical early pattern. So the hallmark distribution is the small joints of the hands, wrists, and feet in a symmetric distribution.

Rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune inflammatory arthritis that classically targets synovial joints in a symmetric pattern. The most characteristic early involvement is the small joints of the hands and feet—the metacarpophalangeal and proximal interphalangeal joints, along with the wrists and sometimes the metatarsophalangeal joints. This symmetry happens because the immune process affects joints on both sides of the body in parallel. Larger weight-bearing joints and the spine can be affected later or less prominently, but they don’t define the typical early pattern. So the hallmark distribution is the small joints of the hands, wrists, and feet in a symmetric distribution.