There are over 100 disorders that typically affect joints, tendons, ligaments, bones, and muscles and are termed arthritis and rheumatic diseases. Some of these may also involve internal organs.
Examples of arthritis include:
Rheumatic diseases are myriad in their manifestations and causes. While some of these are genetic and a person may be predisposed to getting them or the arthritis may develop a trigger that causes arthritis. This could be an injury or an infection. A cold, flu, or other type of virus could trigger a rheumatic disease in some people. Osteoarthritis may be caused by wear and tear on the joints or by an injury to a joint.
Age and sex play a role in risk of getting arthritis. Some of the conditions are more common among elderly while some including osteoarthritis are more common in women after menopause.
Lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, scleroderma, and fibromyalgia are more common among women. Rheumatoid arthritis occurs two to three times more often in women than in men.
Gout is more common in men than in women. After menopause, the incidence of gout in women begins to rise. This could be due to the hormonal differences or due to genetic differences.
In addition, some races and ethnicities are more at risk. Lupus for example is more common in African Americans and Hispanics than in Caucasians.
Rheumatic diseases are diagnosed by regular physicians, orthopedicians as well as specialists in rheumatic diseases or a rheumatologist. Common signs and symptoms include:
Tests commonly include:
The common treatments that are applicable for most arthritis include rest, relaxation, physical therapy, monitored exercises and joint mobilization, healthy diet, weight loss.
Other therapies include water therapy, health and cold therapy, care for joints, devices such as splints, braces, crutches etc.
Patients may undergo surgery to restore function or to relieve pain and sometimes to introduce prosthetic joint replacements for better mobility. A plan of therapy is developed in conjunction with the patient and a multidisciplinary team.
Drugs are used in many forms of arthritis. The type of drug depends on the condition and on the individual patient. Most of these drugs do not provide a cure but rather limit the symptoms. One of the exceptions is arthritis that is caused by an infection, in which antibiotics can cure the condition.
Commonly used drugs in arthritis include pain relievers that may be applied locally over the skin or taken as pills. In rheumatoid arthritis, Disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs) and Biologic response modifiers may be tried. Corticosteroids are also used in many rheumatic conditions because they reduce swelling and block or slow down the immune system.
Other drugs used include Hyaluronic acid substitutes, nutritional supplements, enzyme inhibitors like Allopurinol (used in gout) etc.
There are over 100 different types of diseases that affect the joints and are loosely termed arthritis. Some signs of arthritis include pain, aching, stiffness, and swelling.
Typically arthritis is characterized by inflammation and loss of function of one or more joints of the body. Some of these are known as autoimmune diseases because they occur when the immune system, which normally protects the body from infection and disease, attacks the body’s own tissues.
Some of the common types of arthritis include:
This is the most common type of arthritis. It primarily affects cartilage, which is the tissue that cushions the ends of bones within the joint. Once affected the cartilage begins to erode away and may entirely wear off. This leads to joint pain and stiffness.
This is an inflammatory disease of the lining of the joint. There is pain, stiffness, swelling and eventually joint damage, and loss of function of the joints. It may affect hands and feet of both sides of the body.
This is the most common form of arthritis in childhood. It leads to pain, stiffness, swelling, and loss of function of the joints. In addition, there may be rashes or fevers, and may affect various parts of the body.
This is a pain syndrome that affects the body widely. Pain, stiffness, and localized tender points are found on various muscles and tendons, particularly those of the neck, spine, shoulders, and hips. In addition, there are tiredness and sleep difficulties.
This is an autoimmune disease. There is inflammation of and damage to the joints, skin, kidneys, heart, lungs, blood vessels, and brain
These affect the spine commonly. One of the common forms is ankylosing spondylitis that affects the spine, neck and sometimes the hips, shoulders, and knees.
Other types of arthritis include (1) :
Treatment and management of arthritis depends on the type and severity of the condition.
Goals of treatment of arthritis include:
Common treatments that are applicable for most forms of arthritis include:
Patients may undergo surgery to restore function or to relieve pain and sometimes to introduce prosthetic joint replacements for better mobility. The therapy plan is developed in conjunction with the patient and a multidisciplinary team.
Drugs are used in many forms of arthritis. The type of drug depends on the condition and on the individual patient. Most of these drugs do not provide a cure but rather limit the symptoms. One of the exceptions is arthritis that is caused by an infection, in which antibiotics can cure the condition.
Medications that may be used in various types of arthritis include:
Arthritis has a severe impact on people of all ages and has been known to mankind since ancient times. Little was known of the diseases, except its symptoms and signs. Rheumatoid arthritis for example can be traced back to dinosaurs and prehistoric man.
The first published research reports are a few centuries old. According to a book by Bruce M. Rothschild, “The Complete Dinosaur”, only a small portion of dinosaurs actually suffered anything resembling human arthritis.
On the other hand fossil records show evidence that other forms of arthritis did affect dinosaurs, specifically gout. A detailed examination by Rothschild of the bones of a Tyrannosaurus Rex showed the distinctive holes found in the bones of gout patients.
Reference to arthritis is found in texts at least as far as 4500 BC. A text dated 123 AD first describes symptoms that appear similar to rheumatoid arthritis.
The details were noted among skeletal remains of Native Americans found in Tennessee. Bruce Rothschild showed that Tennessee bones belonged to some of the earliest sufferers of RA, and even today Native Americans tend to acquire the disease more often than people in other ethnic groups.
While examining the bones from the Tennessee site researchers found signs of arthritis with no evidence of tuberculosis. Jim Mobley, much later found spikes of rheumatoid arthritis along with tuberculosis. He suggested that the hypervigilant immune system is protective against tuberculosis at the cost of an increased risk of autoimmune disease.
Before the 1600’s the disease was rare. It then spread across the Atlantic during the Age of Exploration. In 1859 the disease acquired its current name. The first recognized description of rheumatoid arthritis was in 1800 by the French physician Dr Augustin Jacob Landré-Beauvais (1772-1840) who was based in the famed Salpêtrière Hospital in Paris. The name "rheumatoid arthritis" itself was coined in 1859 by British rheumatologist Dr Alfred Baring Garrod.
One of the most important publications on arthritis was by William Musgrave called the De Arthritide Symptomatica in 1715. It is the earliest known text describing in detail the symptoms of RA.
Rheumatoid arthritis appears to some to have been depicted in 16th century paintings. This was seen mostly in paintings of hands deformed with the disease. The art of Peter Paul Rubens may possibly depict the effects of rheumatoid arthritis.
Some of the well known rheumatoid arthritis and arthritis patients include Lucille Ball (comedienne), Auguste Renoir (artist), James Coburn (actor) and Camryn Manheim (actress).