Arthritis was recognized in human in 4500 BC and it has become a major issue ever since then. Treatments may include weight loss, medications, non-pharmacologic therapies, surgery – joint replacement and joint surgery.
Overview
Arthritis is a very common disease that is not fully understood. In reality, it is not a single disease, rather, an inflammation of one or more joints and the major symptoms are joint pain and stiffness, which usually get worst as the patient gets older. The main types of the disease are osteoarthritis and rheumatoid.
Contents of this article
- What is arthritis?
- History
- Types
- Causes
- Signs and symptoms
- Diagnosis
What is arthritis?
The term “arthritis” means joint disorder with inflammation. The word is used in describing 100 to 200 rheumatic diseases that affect joints, the tissues that surround the joint, and as well as other connective tissues.
History
Types
Over 100 to about 200 types have been identified and grouped into seven main groups, the groups are as follows
- Inflammatory arthritis
- Degenerative or mechanical arthritis
- Soft tissue musculoskeletal pain
- Back pain
- Connective tissue disease
- Infectious arthritis
- Metabolic arthritis.
Causes
Causes of all types of the disease are yet unknown, potential causes have only been identified which vary in accordance with the type. Hence, potential causes are as follows:
- Inheritance – such as in osteoarthritis
- Injury – leading to degenerative arthriti s
- Abnormal metabolism – leading to gout and pseudogout
- Immune system dysfunction – such as in RA and SLE
- Infections – such as in the arthriti s of Lyme disease.
Signs and Symptoms
Four major warning signs of arthritis have been identified and they are:
- Pains that might be regular or irregular
- Warm swellings
- Stiffness
- Difficulty moving a joint
Diagnosis
Arthritis is generally diagnosed with a current and past detailed medical history of signs and symptoms. Physical examination is done, followed by a radiographic and laboratory study. Tests carried out are usually dependent on the type suspected.
Treatment