Rheumatoid arthritis can be connected to quite a few different problems. In addition, it can be actually a symptom of many different things. For example, said joint pain could be a symptom of Accutane use or of Crohn’s disease for that matter. But some have recently found that rheumatoid arthritis as a disease can actually be responsible for painful breathing, shortness of breath, lung nodules, scarring of the lungs, and even scarring of the small airways in the lungs.

Fluid due to inflammation may accumulate around the lungs with this particular disease, it may scar connective tissues, etc. If you see signs such as sharp pain while breathing, shortness of breath, chronic dry cough, fatigue, weakness, loss of appetite, and weight loss, you should immediately contact your doctor. Most of these pose no risk in terms of cancer causing agents. But they can cause various problems and you may require in this extreme case an immunosuppressant drug.

Most doctors stay away from this if they can as it has obvious issues. But this considered, they may also have to conduct a procedure to remove fluids from the lungs. This could be essential to your health and livelihood in general.