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A Guide On Arthritis And How To Deal With It

Wednesday, February 18th, 2009    Subscribe To Our Feed

systemic lupus erythematosus

There are pain syndromes like fibromyalgia and arthritis-related disorders, such as systemic lupus erythematosus, that involve every part of the body. There are relatively mild forms of tendinitis (as in ‘tennis elbow’) and bursitis to crippling systemic forms, such as rheumatoid arthritis. There are forms of the disease, such as gout, which almost nobody connects with arthritis, and there are other conditions - like osteoarthritis, the misnamed ‘wear and tear’ arthritis - that a good many people think is the only form of the disease.

How do you know if you have arthritis? While symptoms and severity vary from person to person, the most common symptoms are: pain, swelling, stiffness, tenderness, redness and warmth. Osteoarthritis is characterized by progressive stiffness without swelling, chills or fever. Rheumatoid arthritis is the painful swelling, inflammation and stiffness in the fingers, arms, legs and wrists, which are prevalent on both sides of the body and are usually worse in the morning. Children with on-off fever, loss of appetite, weight loss and a blotchy rash on the arms and legs might have juvenile rheumatoid arthritis. You should call the doctor if symptoms appear suddenly, or if they are accompanied by a fever or rash.

It is now believed that a number of environmental factors may trigger psoriatic arthritis. For instance, 4.6% of psoriatic arthritis patients had a rubella vaccination within the past five years, 14.9% had trauma requiring medical care, 25% had recurrent oral ulcers and 50% had a bone fracture requiring hospitalization. Further studies are needed to reveal how to prevent this type of arthritis, but the 2008 study from the Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases has shed some light on a somewhat mysterious condition.

For treatment, Methotrexate slows the progression of rheumatoid arthritis and restores some function. For osteoarthritis sufferers, NSAIDs like ibuprofen are good at relieving short term pain and stiffness. Disease modifiers like Methotrexate, Leflunomide, Adalimumab, Etanercept or Infliximab can help long term effects and reduce joint damage. For people with gout, NSAIDs, Corticosteroids, Allopurinol and Probenecid are effective drugs. Be sure to see your doctor if you have been suffering with any symptom of chronic pain.

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