Arthritis: Symptoms, Causes, Types & Treatment

Arthritis comes in a variety of forms. Each kind has distinct symptoms and can require various therapies. Although arthritis often strikes older people, it may afflict anybody at any age, including men, women, and children.

What Is Arthritis And What Do You Need To Know About It?

Arthritis is a frequent illness that affects your joints. Inflammation and discomfort may result, making it challenging to move or maintain activity. Inflammation and injury to the joints, surrounding tissues, and other connective tissues are symptoms of more than 100 illnesses collectively referred to as arthritis.

The tendons and ligaments around the joint, however, may also be impacted by inflammation. A person’s ability to carry out daily chores may be hampered by the symptoms, which may appear gradually or unexpectedly. In this article, the many forms of arthritis are covered along with their arthritis types symptoms and treatment.

You may seek the advice of the best rheumatologist in India at PSRI Hospital, where the staff will make sure that all of your requirements are met and that you have a positive experience receiving their skilled medical care.

What Exactly is Arthritis?

A condition that affects your joints is arthritis (areas where your bones meet and move). The most common symptoms of arthritis are joint inflammation or degeneration (breakdown). When you utilise the affected joint, these reactive arthritis symptoms may be painful. The following bodily parts are those where arthritis is most prevalent:

• Feet
• Hands
• Hips
• Knees
• The lower back

What Are The Different Forms Of Arthritis?

There are over a hundred different forms of arthritis. Arthritis may generally be divided into the following categories:

Arthritis That Is Degenerative Or Mechanical:

An assortment of illnesses together referred to as degenerative or mechanical arthritis primarily entail harm to the cartilage that surrounds the ends of the bones. The supple, slippery cartilage’s primary function is to facilitate easy gliding and motion in the joints. This kind of arthritis causes the cartilage to weaken and roughen.

The body starts remodelling the bone to restore stability to make up for cartilage loss and changes in joint function. Osteophytes, which are unwanted bone growths, may form as a result. The joint may develop a misalignment. This ailment is generally referred to as osteoarthritis. Osteoarthritis may also develop as a result of joint injuries, such as a fracture, or joint inflammation.

Inflammatory Arthritis:

A typical aspect of the body’s healing process is inflammation. As a preventative measure against germs and viruses or as a reaction to wounds like burns, it frequently occurs. On the other hand, patients who have inflammatory arthritis experience inflammation that is not immediately obvious.

Damaged inflammation that does not naturally develop in response to injury or illness defines inflammatory arthritis. The damage caused by this sort of inflammation, which results in discomfort, stiffness, and swelling, is counterproductive and harmful to the afflicted joints.

Multiple joints may be affected by inflammatory arthritis, and the inflammation can harm both the bone under the skin and the joint’s surface which also rheumatoid arthritis causes. Following are some examples of inflammatory arthritis:

• Rheumatoid arthritis
• Ankylosing spondylitis and psoriatic arthritis.

Childhood Arthritis

Numerous forms of arthritis may be mentioned here. The most typical kind of arthritis is juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA), also known as juvenile rheumatoid arthritis (JRA). There is no treatment for childhood arthritis, which can permanently damage joints. Remission, on the other hand, is conceivable and occurs when the illness is dormant. Immune system issues might be at blame.

Chronic Connective Tissue Disease (CTD)

Supporting, uniting, or dividing other bodily tissues and organs are the functions of connective tissues. Among them are cartilage, tendons, and ligaments. Inflammation and joint discomfort are symptoms of CTD. In addition to the skin, muscles, lungs, and kidneys, inflammation may also develop in other tissues, such as the lungs and muscles. CTD examples include

• Lupus, or SLE,
• Systemic sclerosis, also known as scleroderma
• dermatomyositis
• Sjogren’s

Along with sore joints, this can cause a variety of other signs and symptoms of arthritis, necessitating the assistance of several other doctors.

Infectious Arthritis

Inflammation in joints can occasionally be brought on by bacteria, viruses, or fungi. Joint-infecting microbes include:

• Shigella and salmonella, which are transmitted through tainted or contaminated food
• Sexually transmitted illnesses including gonorrhoea and chlamydia (STDs)
• Hepatitis C, a blood-to-blood infection that can be contracted via receiving blood transfusions or using shared needles,

Antibiotics or other antimicrobial drugs might be prescribed by a doctor to treat a joint infection. On the other hand, if the infection has continued for a while, arthritis may occasionally turn chronic and the damage to the joints may be irreparable.

Metabolic Arthritis

When the body breaks down purine-containing compounds, urate is produced as a chemical. Human cells and several dietary sources contain purines. The majority of uric acid dissolves in the blood and is carried to the kidneys. Urine is produced thereafter, and it leaves the body. Some people have high amounts of uric acid because either their bodies naturally make more than they require, or because their bodies cannot remove the uric acid rapidly enough.

Some individuals have a buildup of uric acid that results in the formation of needle-like crystals in the joint, which can cause rapid spikes in their level of acute joint pain or a gout attack. If the amounts of uric acid are not lowered, gout can either develop into a chronic condition or occur in episodes.

The big toe and hands are typical joints that are affected, along with a few other smaller joints. Typically, it has an impact on the extremities. According to one idea, uric acid crystals grow in joints that are colder and further from the body’s core heat.

Septic Arthritis

An infection, either bacterial or fungal, can cause septic arthritis, an inflammation of the joints. Hip and knee joints are frequently impacted. It normally affects 2–6 people out of 100,000. A joint may become infected with a microbe directly through an injury or surgery, or it may become infected when bacteria or other disease-causing germs travel to a joint through the blood.

Most cases of acute septic arthritis are brought on by bacteria like Streptococcus, Staphylococcus, or Neisseria gonorrhoeae. Chronic septic arthritis is brought on by microbes like Candida albicans and Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Similar to acute septic arthritis, this is less frequent. The likelihood of getting septic arthritis is increased by the following conditions:

• Joint injury or illness currently present
• Inserts for artificial joints
• Infected with microorganisms somewhere else in the body
• Bacterial presence in the blood
• Chronic sickness or illness (such as diabetes, RA, and sickle cell disease)
• Drug usage by injection or intravenous (IV)
• Medicines that lower immune function
• Recently injured joint
• Recent arthroscopy or other surgery on a joint
• Disorders that reduce immunity, such as HIV
• Diabetes
• Older age

Being able to quickly destroy joints makes septic arthritis a rheumatologic emergency. It could be fatal.

What Are The Signs And Symptoms Of Arthritis?

Depending on the kind, there is a vast range of viral arthritis symptoms and ways that they manifest. Both slow and abrupt development is possible. In view of the fact that arthritis is frequently a chronic condition, symptoms may fluctuate or linger over time. However, if a person exhibits any of the four critical warning symptoms listed below, they should visit a doctor.

• Swelling: The skin above the damaged joint may appear red, inflamed, and heated to the touch in some kinds of arthritis.
• Pain: Arthritis pain can either be ongoing or intermittent. It could simply impact one area or cause discomfort over the entire body.
• Stiffness: One usual symptom is stiffness. With certain kinds, this is probably the case when you first get up in the morning, after spending a lot of time sitting at a desk or in a car, or after. Other kinds may experience stiffness during or following activity.
• Having trouble moving a joint: It may be a sign of arthritis or another joint condition if moving a joint or rising from a chair is difficult or uncomfortable.

A number of different forms of arthritis can result in symptoms that are distinct from these common symptoms. Juvenile RA, for instance, might result in ocular issues including uveitis, iridocyclitis, or iritis. Fever and excruciating joint pain are frequent symptoms of septic arthritis. If it worsens to the point of sepsis, it can become an emergency.

What Are The Causes Of Arthritis?

Wondering what causes arthritis? All forms of arthritis are caused by a variety of factors. Depending on the kind or form of arthritis, there may be one or many causes. Arthritis is caused by:

• An incident that may result in degenerative arthritis
• An improper metabolism that can lead to diseases like calcium pyrophosphate deposits and gout (CPPD)
• A hereditary predisposition that may result in osteoarthritis
• An infection like Lyme disease, which can cause symptoms of arthritis
• Immune system malfunction, such as that which results in lupus and RA,

The majority of arthritis types have several contributing causes. Some, though, seem to sprout out of nowhere and without a clear reason.

What Are The Arthritis Treatment Options?

The goals of arthritis symptoms and treatment include managing pain, reducing joint deterioration, and enhancing or maintaining function and quality of life with the help of the best rheumatologist in Delhi at PSRI Hospital. This may be accomplished while also protecting joints from future harm thanks to a variety of drugs and lifestyle choices. The type of arthritis a person gets determines the precise course of treatment. It could entail

Medication

The kind of arthritis will determine the medication. Typical medications include

Medication:

• Analgesics: They ease suffering. They do not, however, affect inflammation.
• Anti-inflammatory medications that are not steroidal: These lessen discomfort as well as inflammation. Some NSAIDs are offered as patches, gels, or lotions that can be administered directly to the affected joints.
• Counterirritants: The compound that gives hot peppers their fiery flavour, capsaicin, is included in several lotions and ointments. These can regulate pain signals from the joint and minimise discomfort when applied to the skin over an uncomfortable joint.
• Antirheumatic medications that treat disease: The immune system’s onslaught on the joints is slowed or stopped with DMARDs, which are used to treat RA.
• Biologics: These medications have undergone genetic engineering and are designed to target different protein molecules involved in the immune response.
• Corticosteroids: Inflammation is reduced and the immune system is suppressed by prednisone and cortisone.

Natural Solutions

People with arthritis can improve their general health and lessen the intensity of their symptoms by eating a healthy, balanced diet, getting enough exercise, and abstaining from smoking and excessive alcohol use.

Here are some Natural Solutions:

• Diet

Consuming certain foods may assist to lessen inflammation. These meals provide several nutrients that are beneficial for joint health and can reduce joint inflammation.

• Fish
• Seeds and nuts
• Veggies and fruits
• Beans
• Olive oil
• Whole grains

Conversely, processed meals, foods with added sugar, and refined carbs should be avoided or consumed in moderation by those with arthritis. These meals could even exacerbate arthritic inflammation.

• Physical activity and treatment

Physical therapy is frequently advised by medical professionals to help arthritis sufferers overcome certain difficulties and lessen movement restrictions. The following types of physical treatment might be suggested:

• Physical therapy: Exercises that are customised to the illness and each person’s demands are occasionally paired with pain-relieving therapies like cold or hot packs and massage.

• Occupational therapy: Useful advice on managing daily duties, selecting specialised aids and equipment, preventing joints from additional injury, and controlling tiredness

Additionally, even though those who have arthritis may temporarily feel more pain when they start exercising, regular exercise can successfully lessen long-term symptoms.

Surgery

There may be a need for various surgical procedures on the damaged joints depending on the type of arthritis a person has. Depending on the severity of a person’s symptoms, and if previous therapies have been effective, it could vary. There are several arthritic surgery alternatives

Types of Surgery

• Synovectomy
• Complete replacement of joints
• Osteotomy
• Synovial fusion

Conclusion

You may find it challenging to carry out daily duties if you have severe arthritis, especially if it affects your hands or arms. Weight-bearing joint arthritis might make it difficult for you to sit up straight or walk comfortably. Joints can lose their alignment and form over time.

The best rheumatologist doctor at PSRI Hospital can assist a person to assess whether they have arthritis and the best course of therapy for them. Medication and lifestyle modifications are also possible forms of treatment. Surgery could be necessary for some circumstances.