Different Varieties Of Arthritis

September 24th, 2008    Subscribe To Our Feed

There are over hundred different classifications of arthritis and the symptoms vary from type to type. The most prevalent symptoms arthritis of different types would have are listed below.

Osteoarthritis starts with pain in the joints and stiffness which is progressive with almost no evidence of swelling, fever or chills whilst the patient conducts normal day to day activities. This condition is also referred to as arthrosis, degenerative joint disease or degenerative arthritis. It starts with a low grade inflammation resulting in joint pain that is caused due to the cartilage (covers the bone and functions like a cushion in between joints) being worn out. As the protection offered by the cartilage decreases, pain is felt by the patient when weight is to be born by the bones, and this would include activities as simple as standing and walking. With a decrease in movement caused by the pain, ligaments tend to become slack and muscles around the affected area can start to deteriorate.

Rheumatoid arthritis is conventionally looked upon as a disorder which has the body’s immune system attacking the body. The symptoms arthritis of this kind has starts off with inflammation, pain and the fingers, wrists, arms or knees becoming stiff on both the sides, especially upon waking up. This condition involves lot of inflammation and pain being caused to the patient. This can result in the patient’s mobility being restricted considerably. It is a systematic condition that can affect different tissues of the body like the muscles, skin, lungs, heart, etc. After ten years into the condition, approximately 60% of the patients’ ability to work is lost.

Infectious arthritis is caused by bacteria, viruses or fungi. Symptoms arthritis of these types carry will vary depending on what is the cause of the inflammation. If the inflammation is caused by bacteria, the patient can experience chills and/or fever and the swelling and pain is generally limited to one place, appearing quite suddenly. If the cause is a virus, fever is normally absent, but the pain could be experienced throughout the body. Symptoms arthritis caused by fungi would appear in the form of a very slow progression of the swelling and pain, which could extend to months in some cases. The swelling and pain could be limited to one area or not, and mild fever can also be a possibility.

Juvenile arthritis is the most prevalent form of arthritis. The symptoms arthritis of this variety displays include appetite loss, sporadic fever, loss of weight, blotchy patches on the legs and arms or anemia. An arthritis remedy and diagnosis in this case would depend upon whether the patient is a child or an adult. While recovery in some cases is complete, in others it remains a life long condition.

Gout arthritis is a condition where there is a build up of uric acid within the blood which results in the formation of crystals in joints as well as other parts of the body. Symptoms arthritis of this category carries are unexpected severe attacks that generally occur in the patient’s big toe; however, any of the patient’s joint could be involved.

The most common type of arthritis is Knee arthritis, since knee joint is the major weight bearing joint and most commonly used joint, because of which complications arise most commonly.

An arthritis Remedy can be found for almost all forms of arthritis if medical attention is sought at the preliminary stage. For the best arthritis Cures visit the links in this article.


Degenerative Arthritis: Breakdown of Cartilage, One or More Joints

June 6th, 2007    Subscribe To Our Feed

Degenerative arthritis or osteoarthritis is a kind of arthritis that results because of a breakdown, as well as eventual loss of the cartilage of one or more joints. This is the most common type of the more than 100 different types of arthritis conditions, and is believed to affect more than 20 million Americans and occurs with advancing age.

Degenerative arthritis occurs most often in males that are under the age of 45, and is more prevalent among females that are older than 55 years of age. There does not seem to be any racial bias when it comes to Americans though there are higher incidences among Japanese while East Indians, Southern African blacks as well as Southern Chinese have lower rates.

Feet, Hands, Hips, Knees and Spine can be Affected

Degenerative arthritis has been known to affect the spine, hands and feet as well as large weight-bearing joints like the hips and knees though there does not seem to be any known cause.

When the cause is known, the condition is referred to as secondary osteoarthritis. Age is certainly a contributory factor to causing degenerative arthritis since the water content of the cartilage increases while the protein makeup degenerates. In advanced cases, there can be a complete loss of cartilage cushion between joints and bone which will cause friction between the bones causing extreme pain as well as limiting joint mobility.

There is always weight reduction as well as avoidance of activities requiring excessive stress that will help to halt cartilage degeneration. There is no specific treatment that can stop the degeneration of the cartilage or repair the damaged cartilage. Though the goal of treating degenerative arthritis is to reduce joint pain and inflammation. At the same time continue to maintain joint function.

Resting sore joints will lessen stress on the joints and provide relief from swelling as well as pain. The patients may be recommended to limit the intensity as well as frequency of all activities that result in joint pain consistently. Also, degenerative arthritis is not known to be aggravated by exercise, especially if performed at levels that do not result in joint pain.

Such a condition may also need the services of a physical therapist that can provide support devices like splints, walkers, canes as well as braces. These are all helpful in reducing stress on the joints. Surgery may only be necessary when patients with degenerative arthritis has a severe condition and are unresponsive to conservative treatments.

The future will surely bring with it medications to protect the cartilage from the deteriorating consequence of degenerative arthritis. There are also new treatments such as anti-inflammatory lotions being studied to provide relief of the pain from such a condition.

If you have been looking for relief from your arthritis pain, you must try Arthritin now!

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Local arthritis support group to meet Thursday (The Huntington Herald-Dispatch)
HUNTINGTON -- An arthritis support group meeting will be at 2 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 20, at St. Mary's Medical Center in the Heart Institute Building Room 205.