DISEASE: ARTHRITISDISEASE: ARTHRITIS
Foremost
among the diseases associated with the wither season is the nagging disease of
Arthritis. Arthritis simply means inflammation of the joints. The word
rheumatism is even more general, and is used to describe aches and pains in
joints, bones and muscles. There are over 200 different kinds of arthritis. We
are describing only the common varieties, here.
To
understand Arthritis, one has to first understand how joints work. A joint is
where one bone moves on another. The two bones are held together by ligaments.
Ligaments are like elastic bands: they keep the bones in place while muscles
lengthen and shorten to make the joint move. A coating of cartilage covering the
bone surface stops the bones from rubbing directly against each other. This
helps the joint to work smoothly. The joint is surrounded by a capsule and the
space within the joint (joint cavity) contains synovial fluid. This fluid, which
provides nutrients to the joint and cartilage, is produced by the synovial
membrane (or synovium) which lines the joint cavity. What goes wrong with joints
varies from one kind of arthritis to another.
Osteoarthritis
is the most common form of arthritis. It can affect anyone of any age, though
its more common in older people and women. It can also develop after an
injury to a joint - sometimes many years later.
In
osteoarthritis, the cartilage in a joint becomes pitted, rough and brittle. The
bone underneath thickens and broadens out, as if to reduce the load on the
cartilage. Bony outgrowths form at the outer edges of the joint, making it look
knobbly. The synovial membrane and the joint capsule thicken, and the space
inside the joint narrows. Often there is some inflammation. The joint may become
stiff and painful to move and occasionally swells. While the pain can be very
unpleasant, and one does not feel generally unwell. If the osteoarthritis
worsens, part of the cartilage may break away from the bone. The bone ends may
then rub against each other and the ligaments become strained and weakened. This
causes a lot of pain and changes the shape of the joint.
Osteoarthritis
varies a lot from person to person. For some people, changes are so slow and
subtle they hardly notice them. Others have a number of years when pain and
stiffness gradually worsen, then the condition seems to settle down and becomes
easier to manage.
When
the overall disease process finishes, the joints look rather knobbly but are
usually far less painful. In some cases they become pain free, and they are able
to carry out most everyday tasks. Usually this disease affects hands, knees,
hips, feet and spine.
The
right treatment depends on the kind of arthritis, how bad it is and how it
affects the patient. Simple blood test and X Ray test can diagnose the disaease.
Dozens
of drugs are used to treat arthritis and many people are prescribed a
combination of them. These drugs include Painkillers (analgesics) like
paracetamol, aspirin, ibuprofen, and Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs)
Physiotherapy is also of great importance in Arthritis. Physiotherapists aim to
keep the patient active and free of pain. Physiotherapists can offer advice on
pain relief, exercise, posture and relaxation techniques, hydrotherapy sessions
exercise in warm water to ease pain and take the weight off joints among
other therapies. Other therapies include electrotherapy to help settle inflamed
joints and injured tendons or muscles, acupuncture, if its available.
Sometimes,
if the joints are very damaged and other treatment isnt helping, surgery may
be suggested. Possible operations include: replacing a badly damaged joint with
an artificial joint, removing the inflamed lining of the joint cavity, removing
the painful coverings from tendons or repairing damaged tendons, removing bone
to relieve pain, releasing trapped nerves, and fusing a joint to make it more
stable. Joint replacements are the most common form of surgery for arthritis,
with hip and knee replacements the most popular. Ankles, shoulders, elbows,
wrists and fingers can also be replaced.
Rheumatoid
arthritis (RA) involves inflammation of the lining of many different joints in
your body. In some people, RA can also affect other parts of the body, including
the blood, the lungs, and the heart. Inflammation of the joint lining, called
the synovium, can cause pain, stiffness, swelling, warmth, and redness. The
affected joint may also lose its shape, resulting in loss of normal movement. RA
can last a long time, and can be a disease of flares (active) and remissions
(little to no activity). This disease is two to three times more common in women
than in men, and generally affects people between the ages of 20 and 50.
However, young children can develop a form of RA called juvenile rheumatoid
arthritis.