Patient Education: Arthritis

Types of Arthritis?

The term “arthritis” is a general term and refers to more than 100 different diseases that affect the joints, muscles, and other tissues. Below are some forms of arthritis and related conditions:

OSTEOARTHRITIS (OA)

A) SYMPTOMS OF OSTEOARTHRITIS:

• Achy, sore, and tender joints
• Chills or fever during normal activities
• Experience less range of motion
• Pain and progressive stiffness in joint without noticeable swelling (mild inflammation)
• A grating or crackling sound when you move your joint

B) WHAT IS OSTEOARTHRITIS? Osteoarthritis (OA) is the most common type of arthritis and is also known as degenerative arthritis. OA usually develop slowly over several years. It occurs when there is a systematic loss of cushioning cartilage in the joints and the bones in the joint rub against one another. Because bone is extremely sensitive, this can be very painful and can drastically reduce movement in the joint.

C) WHAT CAUSES OSTEOARTHRITIS? Although OA is attributed to the wear and tear associated with aging, your risk to develop OA increases with obesity, injury, lack of activity, repeated joint stress, or genetic abnormalities due to heredity. Misuse of anabolic steroids can also bring on early osteoarthritic degeneration.

D) WHO CAN HAVE OSTEOARTHRITIS? Osteoarthritis is most prevalent in people who are ages 55 and up.

RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS

A) SYMPTOMS OF RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS:

• Aches, stiffness, tenderness, and swelling in joints
• Inflammation and pain in the joints
• Misshapen joints and ends of bones become abnormally enlarged
• Lessening of appetite, weight loss, fever, and fatigue
• Lumps (called rheumatoid nodules) over joint areas that receive pressure

B) WHAT IS RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS? Rheumatoid arthritis is a medical inflammatory disease of the lining of the joint that often develops suddenly (within weeks or months). A typical joint in the body is made up of 2 bones that move against each other. These two bones are held together by ligaments and a sheath (called a capsule) that surround the entire joint. The inner lining of the capsule is called the synovium. In rheumatoid arthritis, the synovium of the joint becomes inflamed and enlarged so that it erodes the neighboring bones, ligaments, and cartilage. The end result is damaged and painful joint surfaces.

C) WHAT CAUSES RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS? Autoimmune diseases in which the body’s immune system attacks its own healthy tissue may cause rheumatoid arthritis. Crystal deposits in the joint may also cause Rheumatoid arthritis.

D) WHO CAN HAVE RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS? Rheumatoid arthritis usually begins between ages 25 and 50.

JUVENILE RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS (JRA)

A) SYMPTOMS OF JUVENILE RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS:

• Reoccurring episodes of achy, stiff, and tender joints
• Swollen joints
• Chronic fever and a rash
• Anemia

B) WHAT IS JUVENILE RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS? JRA is the most common form of arthritis in children. There are three kinds of JRA based by the number of joints involved, the symptoms, and the presence or absence of certain antibodies in the blood: Pauciarticular JRA, Polyarticular JRA, and Systematic JRA (Also known as Still’s disease).

• Pauciarticular means that four or fewer joints are affected. Pauciarticular is the most common form of JRA. Pauciarticular disease typically affects large joints, such as the knees.
• In polyarticular JRA, five or more joints are affected. The small joints, such as those in the hands and feet, are most commonly involved, but the disease may also affect large joints. Polyarticular JRA often affects the same joint on both sides of the body. Some children with Polyarticular JRA have an antibody in their blood called IgM rheumatoid factor (RF). These children often have a more severe form of the disease, which doctors consider to be the same as adult rheumatoid arthritis.
• Systematic JRA can affect any number of joints. All children with this type of JRA test negative for both RF and ANA. A small percentage of these children develop arthritis in many joints and can have severe arthritis that continues into adulthood.

C) WHAT CAUSES JUVENILE RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS? JRA is an autoimmune disorder. The child’s body mistakenly identifies some of its own cells and tissues as foreign substances, and the immune system (which normally helps to fight off harmful, foreign substances) begins to attack healthy cells and tissues. The result is inflammation-marked by redness, heat, pain, and swelling. Doctors do not know why the immune system reacts in this manner, but many believe that genetic makeup or environmental factors may trigger the development of JRA.

D) WHO CAN HAVE JUVENILE RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS? JRA is most common in girls, but it can occur in any child under the age of 17.

SYSTEMIC LUPUS ERYTHEMATOSUS (SLE) A) SYMPTOMS OF SYSTEMIC LUPUS ERYTHEMATOSUS:

• achy joints
• frequent fevers and a butterfly-shaped rash that appears across the nose and cheeks
• anemia
• hair loss
• pain in the chest on deep breathing

B) WHAT IS SYSTEMIC LUPUS ERYTHEMATOSUS? SLE is a serious autoimmune disorder that can inflame and damage joints and connective tissues throughout the body. It is a disease that involves virtually every other organ of the body, including the skin, kidneys, heart, nerves, brain, and blood. SLE somehow turns on itself and produces antibodies (called antinuclear antibodies) that participate in injuring or destroying a wide variety of tissues. For reasons unknown, these antibodies are formed against normal nuclear materials of the body's own cells. They occur in the vast majority of people with SLE as well as in those with other autoimmune diseases. The presence of these antibodies and other characteristics of lupus separate SLE from other rheumatic diseases.

C) WHAT CAUSES SYSTEMIC LUPUS ERYTHEMATOSUS? Like all rheumatic diseases, the cause or causes of lupus are unknown today. Abnormalities of the immune system undoubtedly are a factor, but whether these changes are a primary cause or simply a reaction of the body to injury is unclear. Some believe SLE is related to a hormonal or genetic factor.

D) WHO CAN HAVE SYSTEMIC LUPUS ERYTHEMATOSUS? SLE is a complex disorder affecting a predominately young population.

GOUT

A) SYMPTOMS OF GOUT:

• Hot, painful, and swollen joints
• Skin over joint may take on a red or purple, shiny appearance

B) WHAT IS GOUT? Gout is often characterized as an inflammatory form of arthritis. It is a painful condition that may attack both small and large joints, often beginning in the big toe and then moving to the finger, foot, ankle, and elbow.

C) WHAT CAUSES GOUT? Deposits of sodium urate crystals in the joints cause joint inflammation in gout. The crystals form excess uric acid, which ends up being a waste product that circulates in the blood and cause joint inflammation. Excessive alcohol consumption, obesity, and high blood pressure may increase an individual’s risk of developing gout.

D) WHO CAN HAVE GOUT? With proper diet and care, gout can be avoided. Gout is most common in men between the ages of 40 and 50, but it can effect any person (regardless of sex or age).

INFECTIOUS ARTHRITIS

A) SYMPTOMS OF INFECTIOUS ARTHRITIS:

• vomiting
• fever
• neck stiffness
• headaches
• painful, sore, and achy joints

B) WHAT IS INFECTIOUS ARTHRITIS? Infectious arthritis refers to various ailments that affect larger arm and leg joints as well as finger and toes. Because the symptoms may be masked by a primary injury or illness, infectious arthritis may go unnoticed and, if left untreated, can result in permanent disability.

C) WHAT CAUSES INFECTIOUS ARTHRITIS? Bacteria or other types of infectious agents cause infectious arthritis.

D) WHO CAN HAVE INFECTIOUS ARTHRITIS? Since infectious arthritis refers to various ailments, it can effect anybody regardless of sex or age.

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