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What is arthritis? An inflammation of a body joint or its component tissues, accompanied b...  more and also

Article By Dr John Anne: What is arthritis?
An inflammation of a ...

What is arthritis?
An inflammation of a body joint or its component tissues, accompanied by pain, soreness, and inflexibility in that area, which is basically a result of causes ranging from infection, distress, degenerative changes or metabolic disorders.

In simple words, affected joints are unable to move smoothly past one another.

In medical parlance, arthritis refers to a collection of more than 100 rheumatic diseases and conditions that can cause pain, stiffness and soreness in the joints. If left untreated, arthritis can cause irreversible damage to the joints.

What are the various forms of arthritis?

Arthritis can appear suddenly or gradually, and occurs in various forms, but osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis are the two most common.

There are four basic types of arthritis:

1. Inflammatory arthritis - inflammation of tissues related to joints. Connective tissue diseases, crystal deposition diseases, infectious arthritis, and spondylitis are examples of inflammatory arthritis. Rheumatoid arthritis is the most common variety. Other types are Ankylosing spondylitis, Reiter's syndrome, Ehlers-Danlos syndrome.

2. Degenerative joint disease (osteoarthritis) - corrosion of the cartilage lining the joints and lessening of new bone formation underneath the cartilage. The disease is quite common in the latter part of life where the continued slow damage causes increasing disability.

3. Nonarticular rheumatism - sometimes called soft-tissue rheumatism, and includes conditions like tendonitis, bursitis, fibrositis. This condition is related to sleep disturbances or even muscular abnormalities.

4. Other diseases may also give rise to arthritis. There exist neurological, blood and endocrine related disorders giving rise to rheumatic diseases.

How to recognize arthritis?

Symptoms differ from person to person depending on his age, the affected area and the type of arthritis. The most common symptoms include:

§ Swelling in one or more joints
§ Stiffness around the joint that usually occurs in the early morning § Constant or recurring pain in a joint
§ Tenderness around a joint
§ Difficulty using or moving a joint normally
§ Redness in a joint accompanied by heat there

Other possible symptoms:

§ Occasional fever § Weight loss and fatigue
§ Breathing difficulty
§ Rashes and itching

Who all are at risk of arthritis?

Younger people have a relatively lower risk of having arthritis but still comprise a sizeable portion of affected people.

Prevalence is generally higher among women as compared to men, especially osteoarthritis. Arthritis is the leading cause of mobility limitation in women aged 45 years and above. So all you ladies, remember prevention is better than cure.

What are the common causes?

The causes of arthritis usually depend on the type of arthritis.

Common causes include:

§ injury (leading to osteoarthritis),
§ irregular metabolism
§ hereditary
§ some infection
§ unknown reasons in case of rheumatoid arthritis

What treatment procedure to follow?

Early diagnosis and treatment helps......

The most common complication of arthritis is functional disability. However, do not get scared! General health upkeep, rest, and gradual treatment can avoid this situation.

There is no complete remedial treatment, only control through a combination of heat fomentation, massage, and supervised exercise. The various treatment options help manage pain and reduce deformity and disability.

A correct diagnosis of the type of arthritis is important before undergoing any drug therapy. Rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis can be treated with nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. D