Arthritis
Arthritis Symptoms May Vary By The Type Of Arthritis
There are many different types of arthritis and each one that develops, as well as the cause, will offer different arthritis symptoms, and a trip to the doctor for appropriate diagnosis may be necessary. Some forms of arthritis will offer similar symptoms, but if a person become afflicted by what is commonly called infectious arthritis, it is important they receive proper care for the infection to eliminate the arthritis symptoms they suffer. The most common form is osteoarthritis, which can be caused by trauma, infection or age and treatment methods can vary based on the individual.
Osteoarthritis is a degenerative disease that affects the joints, or more accurately the cartilage in the joint that serves as a cushion. As the cartilage slowly disappears over time, the arthritis symptoms often include pain in the affected joints as well as stiffness. Another form, rheumatoid arthritis often offers similar stiffness, especially in the mornings, but the stiffness will often disappear the longer the person is up and moving.
While pain in the joints is one of the better known arthritis symptoms, the appropriate treatment can only be offered once it is determined the type of arthritis with which the patient suffers. Often x-rays can reveal the loss of cartilage and, depending on the severity of the loss, may require injections to help provide the joint cushion needed to provide relief.
Arthritis Diagnosis Requires Accurate Testing
When the pain and swelling in the joints fails to lessen throughout the day, it could be one of the rheumatoid arthritis symptoms. When the patient first visits the doctor and it is suspected they are suffering from rheumatoid arthritis, a blood test may be needed to make an accurate diagnosis, to detect any infection in the cartilage. While similar to other arthritis symptoms, rheumatoid arthritis can be crippling and disabling for sufferers to enjoy a normal lifestyle without appropriate treatment.
There are also many misconceptions about arthritis, chief among them is that the arthritis symptoms will be apparent every day. It is possible for many sufferers to be free of the arthritis symptoms on some days and hard hit on others. This can make it difficult for those working with arthritis sufferers to understand the full extent of this medical condition.
Additionally, many younger people who offer arthritis symptoms are often overlooked as the disease is too often considered a disease of the elderly. While common among older people, arthritis symptoms can appear at any age, and the sooner a person receives an accurate diagnosis the sooner treatment can begin.
Rheumatoid Arthritis Symptoms May Spark Additional Testing
There are similarities in the symptoms of different types of arthritis, however about 15 percent of the patients that exhibit rheumatoid arthritis symptoms in the joints, may also be affected by the ailment attacking organs in the body as well. Rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune disease in which the body attacks the joints causing destruction of the cartilage. When the disease also attacks other organs it can lead to severe pain and become disabling. Typically, blood tests are required to diagnose this disease if the patient is also presenting other rheumatoid arthritis symptoms.The most common of the rheumatoid arthritis symptoms is joint pain caused by the membrane surrounding the joint becoming inflamed. While it can affect nearly every joint in the body, it most commonly attacks the smaller joints in the hands, feet and the cervical spine. Severe rheumatoid arthritis symptoms often leave patients with painful movement and can be debilitating.
Although the smaller joints are the usual target, when it attacks larger joints such as the knees, elbows and hips movement may become so painful as to be impossible. There may also be swelling in the skin surrounding the joints, accompanied by tenderness. However, in many patients many of the rheumatoid arthritis symptoms will be worse when they first get out of bed, lessening after an hour or so of painful movement.
Symptoms May Vary Among Patients
For many people suffering from rheumatoid arthritis early symptoms may also include swelling of the skin, especially around the joints, due in part to small blood vessels near the surface of the skin being affected by the disease. Those who wake up in the mornings with stiffness, swelling and severe pain that sees to lesson the longer they are awake, may be showing rheumatoid arthritis symptoms and should contact their doctor for confirmation.
There are also some complications that, although considered rare, that can be devastating to the patient. Hardening of blood vessels, kidney problems and heart disease have all been attributed to this form of arthritis. Doctors recommend early diagnosis and appropriate treatment as soon as the rheumatoid arthritis symptoms are noticed. About one third of the deaths in patients with rheumatoid arthritis have been attributed to heart disease.
Those suffering rheumatoid arthritis symptoms in the early stages, may not show signs of joint degeneration. However, the longer they are afflicted by this disease, the rheumatoid arthritis symptoms in the joints will become more apparent in x-rays as well as in other non-blood related testing.
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