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Arthritis Treatment and Prevention
Author: Juliet Cohen
Article:
Arthritis is a disease that causes pain and loss of movement of
the joints. Arthritis is the leading cause of disability in
people over the age of 55. Arthritis affects the movements you
rely on for everyday activities. Arthritis refers to a group of
more than 100 rheumatic diseases and other conditions that can
cause pain, stiffness and swelling in the joints. There are many
forms of arthritis, each of which has a different cause.
Inflammatory arthritis is characterized by inflammation of
tissues associated with joints. Connective tissue diseases,
crystal deposition diseases, infectious arthritis, and
spondyloarthropathies are examples of inflammatory arthritis.
Rheumatoid arthritis and psoriatic arthritis are autoimmune
diseases in which the body is attacking itself. Septic arthritis
is caused by joint infection. Gouty arthritis is caused by
deposition of uric acid crystals in the joint that results in
subsequent inflammation. Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is
traditionally considered a chronic, inflammatory autoimmune
disorder that causes the immune system to attack the joints. It
is a disabling and painful inflammatory condition, which can
lead to substantial loss of mobility due to pain and joint
destruction. Arthritis sufferers include men and women, children
and adults.
RA is a systemic disease, often affecting extra-articular
tissues throughout the body including the skin, blood vessels,
heart, lungs, and muscles. Psoriatic arthritis (or arthropathic
psoriasis) is a type of inflammatory arthritis that affects
around 20% of people suffering from the chronic skin condition
psoriasis. It occurs more commonly in patients with tissue type
HLA-B27. Treatment of psoriatic arthritis is similar to that of
rheumatoid arthritis. More than 80% of patients with psoriatic
arthritis will have psoriatic nail lesions characterised by
pitting of the nails, or more extremely, loss of the nail itself
(onycholysis). Psoriatic arthritis is said to be a seronegative
spondyloarthropathy. Degenerative joint disease (osteoarthritis)
is a ubiquitous joint disease characterized pathologically by
deterioration of cartilage lining the joints and new bone
formation beneath the cartilage. The disease is very common in
older persons and is thought to be inherent in the aging
process.Degenerative joint disease is marked by a progressive
stiffness, loss of function, and destruction of the larger,
weight-bearing joints of the body.
Nonarticular rheumatism is a group of diseases, also called
soft-tissue rheumatisms, that includes tendonitis, bursitis,
tenosynovitis, and fibrositis. Septic arthritis is the invasion
of the joint space by an infectious agent. The usual etiology is
bacterial, but viral, mycobacterial, and fungal arthritis occur
occasionally. Bacteria are either carried by the bloodstream
from an infectious focus elsewhere, introduced by a skin lesion.
For bacterial infection, Pseudomonas aeruginosa has been found
to infect joints, for example in children who have sustained a
puncture wound. This bacteria also causes endocarditis. Septic
arthritis should be suspected when one joint (monoarthritis) is
affected and the patient is febrile. Gout is a painful condition
that occurs when the body cannot eliminate a natural substance
called uric acid. The excess uric acid forms needle-like
crystals in the joints that cause swelling and severe pain. Gout
most often affects the big toe, knee and wrist joints. Gout is a
form of arthritis (an inflammation of the joints). Symptoms of
arthritis include pain and limited function of joints.
Inflammation of the joints from arthritis is characterized by
joint stiffness, swelling, redness, and warmth. Tenderness of
the inflamed joint can be present. Arthritis Treatment and
Prevention Tips
1.Treatment options is depending on the type of arthritis and
include physical and occupational therapy, and medications
(symptomatic or targeted at the disease process causing the
arthritis).
2.Arthroplasty (joint replacement surgery) may be required in
eroding forms of arthritis.
3.In conventional treatment, painkillers, such as paracetamol,
are essential. Anti-inflammatory medications, such as ibuprofen,
can help with episodes of more severe pain.
4.In recent years a new type of NSAID treatment, called Cox-2
inhibitors, has been launched. These were initially claimed to
be less harmful to the stomach and many patients have found that
they provided good pain relief for their arthritis.
5.Physiotherapy relieves pain and strengthens muscles around the
damaged joint, helping the joint to work better.
6.Regular exercise is beneficial for the same reasons and, once
pain is under control, easy to do.
7.Hip and knee replacements are common and usually involve a
short hospital visit.
8.Disease-modifying drugs that slow disease progression are
available for people with rheumatoid arthritis.
About the author:
Juliet Cohen writes health care
articles for health
doctor and health
disorders.
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