Dr Ahmed took to TikTok to urge people to contact their GP if they are experiencing these symptoms

If you just can’t seem to shake your tiredness no matter how much sleep you have gotten and your limbs are feeling rigid each morning, it might be time to get the once-over from a medic.

It may very well be something and nothing, but it’s better to be safe than sorry – as according to this doctor, these symptoms can be a sign you may be suffering from a common condition which requires urgent treatment.

Without wanting to cause panic, Dr Ahmed took to TikTok to warn that without prompt medical intervention, patients can end up with ‘severe bone destruction’.

Stiff hands and feet as well as excessive tiredness can be a sign of rheumatoid arthritis (Getty Stock Photo)

The UK-based medic explained that ‘feeling tired all the time’ as well as having stiff hands and feet ‘especially in the morning’, could be an indicator that you have rheumatoid arthritis.

According to the NHS, this is an autoimmune disease which causes pain, swelling and stiffness in the joints, which typically affects the hands, feet and wrists.

Sufferers can experience excruciating flare-ups as well as living with day-to-day pain, which is a result of the body’s immune system mistakenly attacking the cells that line the joints.

As a result, they are swollen, stiff and painful – and over time, the joints, cartilage and nearby bone can suffer significant damage.

In a TikTok video, Dr Ahmed explained that symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis are generally ‘symmetrical’, meaning that both sides of a patient’s body will be affected.

He told social media users: “The main symptoms are pain, stiffness, swelling and redness of the affected joints.

“But there are other widespread symptoms as well – these can include a high temperature, feeling tired all the time, weight loss, poor appetite and mood problems.”

The doctor explained that if a patient is suffering from any of these, medics will book them in for blood tests to rule out whether it is rheumatoid arthritis or not.

He added that X-rays and MRI scans can also help doctors determine whether someone is suffering from the condition, while emphasising that time is of the essence when it comes to a diagnosis.

“We diagnose and treat rheumatoid arthritis early, because if left untreated, it can cause severe bone destruction,” Dr Ahmed continued. “And it can cause widespread inflammation, which can affect many other organs.

“These organs can include the lungs and heart, so it can cause pulmonary fibrosis, pleurisy or pericarditis, which is inflammation of the heart.

“It can also affect the eyes and cause vasculitis, which is inflammation of the blood vessels.”

The NHS warns that those with rheumatoid arthritis may also experience carpal tunnel syndrome, as well as being more at risk of suffering a heart attack or stroke.

The social media medic continued: “Obviously, these complications can be very serious which is why treatment is so important – especially early – to help not only manage your symptoms, but stop you getting any of these complications.”

However, he did warn that the medication offered to people with rheumatoid arthritis can also cause some ‘nasty side effects’, which is why patients are closely monitored by their GP and rheumatologist.

Social media users praised Dr Ahmed for his latest informative video and flooded the comment section with their thoughts.

One person wrote: “Yes, I have this every morning and throughout the day. I also have pain in knees and ankles.”