Arthritis - Are You and Your Joints headed for a Divorce?
Author: Fernanda B.Sc, Pharm, M.H.
You will find greater than one hundred distinct forms of arthritis and rheumatic diseases. Within the more widely understood conditions are osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, gout and lupus. When I reflect on arthritis disease the single form that steals the spotlight is one of the more debilitating types of arthritis.
Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) causes distress for about 1% of the residents of North America and shows up three times more often in females than in men. It can occur at any age but usually the age of onset is between 50 and 60. This arthritis disease is a chronic, advancing plight that causes the lining of your joints to become inflamed.
Rheumatoid arthritis is a systemic disease meaning that it produces an affect on the entire body. As this arthritis disease moves forward it can not only impair the tendons, ligaments, cartilage and bone in the joints but also other places in the body such as your lungs and blood vessels.
Rheumatoid Arthritis is an autoimmune disease meaning that the body’s immune system is not functioning properly. The immune system doesn’t acknowledge it’s own tissue and treats it like aliens. With this type of arthritis disease the immune system assaults the joints and surrounding tissue resulting in long term harm.
Symptoms can arrive very hastily or at a slow pace and the arthritis disease has intervals of time when it is bothering you and periods where you are not bothered. When the disease is active, symptoms may include fatigue, lack of appetite, low grade fever, muscle and joint aches and stiffness. Muscle and joint stiffness are usually notable in the beginning of your day and after sessions of inactivity. In Rheumatoid arthritis joints are usually swollen and painful in a symmetrical pattern (both sides of the body affected). Joints in the hands and wrists are usually harmed.
See your doctor if you are feeling some of the noted symptoms. He will carry out a physical examination while asking about your medical background and he will also ask for a blood test. The results from the blood test will help the doctor determine which type of arthritis disease you have. Your physician may send you to see a rheumatologist which is a doctor that specializes in determing the problem and treating arthritic diseases. The two may consult together to provide you the best solution for your condition.
While you can’t heal your condition, you can learn a combination of coping solutions that keep you more active and in control of your life. You and your joints can stay on good terms. Learn from for my next Blog on arthritis help.
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