Gout is a type of inflammatory arthritis that can cause painful swelling in joints. It typically affects the big toe, but it can also affect other joints in the body. We all have a certain amount of urate in our body. However, being overweight or eating and drinking too much of certain types of food and alcoholic drinks can cause some people to have more urate in their bodies. The genes you inherit can make you more likely to develop gout.
If it reaches a high level, urate can form into crystals that remain in and around the joint. They can be there for a while without causing any problems and even without the person realising they are there.
A knock to a part of the body or having a fever can lead to the crystals falling into the soft part of the joint. This will cause pain and swelling. There are drugs that can reduce the amount of urate in the body and prevent gout attacks. Examples are allopurinol and febuxostat. Taking water tablets can increase the risk of gout. We all need calcium to make bones and teeth strong.
However, some people can have too much calcium in their bodies, which can then form as crystals around joints. This can lead to painful swelling. Calcium crystal diseases tend to clear up on their own. Taking painkillers and NSAIDs, and applying an ice pack wrapped in a damp towel, can soothe the pain and swelling.
Rheumatoid arthritis is a type of inflammatory arthritis. It is what is known as an auto-immune condition. Inflammation is normally an important tool in the immune system. It occurs when the body sends extra blood and fluid to an area to fight an infection. This is what is happening for example if you have a cut that gets infected, and the skin around it becomes swollen and a different colour. However, in rheumatoid arthritis the inflammation and extra fluid in a joint can cause the following problems:.
As well as causing pain and stiffness, inflammation can cause permanent damage to a joint. Starting effective treatment early on can help to minimise damage. Rheumatoid arthritis often starts in the small joints of the hands and feet, and it can affect the same joints on both sides of the body at the same time. It can start quite slowly and then gradually get worse, or it can start more aggressively.
Rheumatoid arthritis can affect adults of any age. It most commonly starts among people between the ages of 40 and There are drugs that can slow down an over-active immune system and therefore reduce the pain and swelling in joints. These can have the overall effect of reducing the activity of your immune system, which is overactive and causing damage to your body. Biological therapies have a more targeted effect on the immune system.
Spondyloarthritis is a word used to describe a number of conditions that cause pain and swelling, mainly around the joints of the spine. In these conditions there is inflammation of small pieces of connective tissues, called entheses.
These are tough little cords that join either ligaments or tendons to bones. Ankylosing spondylitis is a type of spondyloarthritis and it causes pain and swelling, mainly around the joints of the spine. In this condition, in response to inflammation around the spine, the body can create more of the mineral calcium.
This mineral is normally used by the body to make bones strong. However, in ankylosing spondylitis the extra calcium can make new bits of bone grow in the spine, and this will cause pain and stiffness. This condition typically causes pain in the second half of the night, and swelling of your back in the morning that lasts for more than half an hour.
There are drugs that can slow this process down. Keeping active will help to minimise stiffening of the spine, while maintaining a good posture will help prevent increased curving of the spine. Ankylosing spondylitis usually occurs between the ages of 20 and It is more common among men.
Psoriatic arthritis is an auto-immune condition. It is also a type of spondyloarthritis. The rash can affect several places in the body, including the elbows, knees, back, buttocks and scalp. Disease modifying anti-rheumatic drugs DMARDs and biological therapies can treat the cause of the inflammation in joints.
There is also a variety of treatments, such as creams and medications, for psoriasis. Psoriatic arthritis usually affects people who already have psoriasis.
However, some people develop the arthritis before the psoriasis. Learn about the differences and how to treat them. There are more than different types of arthritis. Read about splinting and our roundup of options to help you find the best thumb brace for you.
DISH disease is form of arthritis that primarily affects the spine. Find out how it's diagnosed and treated, as well as symptoms to discuss with your….
Arthritis of the knee is common. There are different types, but they share some symptoms, such as swelling, tenderness, and loss of mobility. Voltaren gel became available over-the-counter in Learn more about how it works, where to buy it, and alternative topical medications. Health Conditions Discover Plan Connect. What Causes Arthritis? Medically reviewed by Nancy Carteron, M. What causes arthritis? What increases your risk for arthritis?
What are the types of arthritis? Can you prevent arthritis? When should you see a doctor? What are the treatments for arthritis? Arthrosis vs. Read this next. Medically reviewed by Stella Bard, MD. Medically reviewed by Brenda B. Spriggs, M. Medically reviewed by Debra Sullivan, Ph. Medically reviewed by Deborah Weatherspoon, Ph. Best Thumb Braces for Arthritis. This can result in various symptoms besides painful joints, and it may require consultation with a number of different specialists.
A bacterium, virus, or fungus that enters a joint can sometimes cause inflammation. A joint infection can often be cleared with antibiotics or other antimicrobial medication.
However, the arthritis can sometimes become chronic, and joint damage may be irreversible if the infection has persisted for some time. Uric acid is a chemical created when the body breaks down substances called purines. Purines are found in human cells and several foods. Most uric acid dissolves in blood and travels to the kidneys. From there, it passes out in urine.
Some people have high levels of uric, acid because they either naturally produce more than they need or their body cannot clear the uric acid quickly enough. Uric acid builds up and accumulates in some people and forms needle-like crystals in the joint, resulting in sudden spikes of extreme joint pain or a gout attack. It commonly affects a single joint or a small number of joints, such as the big toe and hands. It usually affects the extremities. One theory is that uric acid crystals form in cooler joints, away from the main warmth of the body.
Cartilage is a flexible, connective tissue in joints that absorb the pressure and shock created by movement like running and walking. It also protects the joints and allows for smooth movement. Persistent inflammation in the synovia leads to the degeneration of cartilage and bone.
This can then lead to joint deformity, pain, swelling, and redness. RA causes premature mortality and disability and it can compromise quality of life. Conditions it is linked to include cardiovascular diseases, such as ischemic heart disease and stroke. Diagnosing RA early gives a better chance of learning how to manage symptoms successfully. This can reduce the impact of the disease on quality of life.
Osteoarthritis is a common degenerative joint disease that affects the cartilage , joint lining and ligaments, and underlying bone of a joint. The joints most often affected by osteoarthritis are those that get heavy use, such as hips, knees, hands, the spine, the base of the thumb, and the big toe joint.
This can refer to a number of types of arthritis. Arthritis in childhood can cause permanent damage to joints, and there is no cure. However, remission is possible, during which time the disease remains inactive. This is thought to affect between 2 and 10 people in every , in the general population. Among people with RA, it may affect 30 to 70 people per , Septic arthritis is a joint inflammation that results from a bacterial or fungal infection.
It commonly affects the knee and hip. It can develop when bacteria or other disease-causing micro-organisms spread through the blood to a joint, or when the joint is directly infected with a microorganism through injury or surgery. Bacteria such as Staphylococcus , Streptococcus , or Neisseria gonorrhoeae cause most cases of acute septic arthritis. Organisms such as Mycobacterium tuberculosis and Candida albicans cause chronic septic arthritis. This is less common than acute septic arthritis.
Septic arthritis may occur at any age. In infants, it may occur before the age of 3 years. The hip is a common site of infection at this age. Septic arthritis is uncommon from 3 years to adolescence. Children with septic arthritis are more likely than adults to be infected with Group B Streptococcus or Haemophilus influenzae if they have not been vaccinated. The incidence of bacterial arthritis caused by infection with H.
The following conditions increase the risk of developing septic arthritis:. Septic arthritis is a rheumatologic emergency as it can lead to rapid joint destruction. It can be fatal. Fibromyalgia affects an estimated 4 million adults in the U. S, or around 2 percent of the population. The person may experience abnormal pain processing, where they reacts strongly to something that other people would not find painful.
There may also be tingling or numbness in the hands and feet, pain in the jaw, and digestive problems. The causes of fibromyalgia are unknown, but some factors have been loosely associated with disease onset:. Psoriatic arthritis is a joint problem that often occurs with a skin condition called psoriasis.
It is thought to affect between 0. Most people who have psoriatic arthritis and psoriasis develop psoriasis first and then psoriatic arthritis, but joint problems can occasionally occur before skin lesions appear. The exact cause of psoriatic arthritis is not known, but it appears to involve the immune system attacking healthy cells and tissue. The abnormal immune response causes inflammation in the joints and an overproduction of skin cells. Damage to the joints can result.
The most common form of arthritis in the United States is osteoarthritis. Other common types of arthritis include rheumatoid arthritis , gout , and fibromyalgia. Fibromyalgia is included in arthritis for public health purposes.
Different types of arthritis have different symptoms. Pain and stiffness in and around one or more joints are common symptoms for most types of arthritis. Depending on the type of arthritis, symptoms can develop suddenly or gradually over time. Symptoms may come and go, or persist over time. For information about the symptoms of specific types of arthritis, visit our Arthritis Types section. However, we do know that gout is caused by too much uric acid in the body.
Sometimes specific infections can also cause arthritis. Scientists are studying the role of factors such as genetics, lifestyle, and environment in different types of arthritis to learn more possible causes and risk factors. For information about known arthritis risk factors, visit the Risk Factors page. Certain factors make it more likely that you will develop arthritis. You can control some risk factors, and others you cannot. By changing the risk factors you can control, you can decrease your risk of getting arthritis or making arthritis worse.
If you have a form of inflammatory arthritis, like rheumatoid arthritis or lupus, you may be more likely to develop complications from the flu than most people. People with inflammatory arthritis are more vulnerable to flu-related complications because they have weakened immune systems. These forms of arthritis and some of the medications used to treat them can both weaken the immune system. An estimated
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