The joint pain, swelling and immobility associated with arthritis is bad enough, but it turns out that the disease does weird things to other parts of the body making it even tougher to cope with it.

Today I’m going to tell you about five serious side effects you may not know are caused by arthritis. #5 will really shock you.

1) It spells trouble for the heart: Arthritis inflammation causes blood vessels to narrow, which can make it hard for blood to flow, resulting in increased risk of heart attack, stroke, and other cardiovascular diseases.

2) Knee joints and neck get hit full force: Arthritis is the most common cause of disability of knee joints. Arthritis of the knee can result from injury, infection, or even being overweight. Swelling, pain, and stiffness are all symptoms.

3) The woes of knobby fingers: A common early sign of arthritis is a Heberden’s node (knobby bony deformity at the smallest joint of the end of the fingers) and small bony knobs (occurring at the middle joint of the fingers). It may not be painful, but they limit the motion of the joint. The problem is both cosmetic and dysfunctional.

4) Rashes add to the troubles: Arthritis can cause rashes on arms or legs. If it’s not treated for a long period of time, ulcers can form, and there is a chance they could become infected. Arthritis nodules are also common. These are the hard lumps of tissue which may develop under the skin over the bony area. These can be as large as walnut or as small as pea.

5) Gastrointestinal problems: inflammation and weakened immunity also leads to gastrointestinal problems. A toxin called guanidine, often found in the blood stream of people suffering from arthritis, accumulates in the liver and can cause constipation.

Everyone experiences arthritis in a different way. We could list hundreds of potential “side effects” of this limiting disease. That’s in addition to the immobility and pain we all know too well.

The good news is that arthritis can be reversed using simple diet and lifestyle changes. Here is the step-by-step system thousands of readers have followed to permanently eliminate arthritis and regain their lives…