Rheumatoid nodules are small bumps under the skin, located in pressure point areas such as the elbow or back of the heel. These bumps may be as small as a grain of rice or as large as a golf ball but are not painful and tend to come and go.
People with rheumatoid arthritis commonly develop rheumatoid nodules, as do children with polyarticular juvenile rheumatoid arthritis who are rheumatoid-factor (RF) positive. While rheumatoid nodules often develop later in the disease, their presence can be helpful in confirming a diagnosis.
| Author | Jeannette Curtis |
| Author | Caroline Rea, RN, BS, MS |
| Editor | Kathleen M. Ariss, MS |
| Editor | Susan Van Houten, RN, BSN, MBA |
| Associate Editor | Tracy Landauer |
| Associate Editor | Pat Truman |
| Primary Medical Reviewer | Patrice Burgess, MD - Family Medicine |
| Primary Medical Reviewer | Adam Husney, MD - Family Medicine |
| Primary Medical Reviewer | Kathleen Romito, MD - Family Medicine |
| Last Updated | May 25, 2007 |
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