Arthritis symptoms are the aching and the creaking of the bones. Perhaps it is thought to be an old person’s disease. On the contrary, it is truly a condition that affects all the ages. Right from toddlers to teenagers and old men can get affected with the arthritis. It often helps to have the condition diagnosed, but the label can be difficult to live with. Many of the sufferers say that it makes them feel unattractive. The aching joints make the physical contact painful.
Treatment
Drug therapies have improved dramatically in the last few years. The young people are the ones to make the recovery than the old people. It seems that they can tolerate the higher doses relative to their body mass. Finding the right treatment could be long and uncomfortable process. Getting a diagnosis for arthritis could be difficult. There are hundreds of different types of arthritis. Many of the treatments that are of the drug treatments have side effects and each individual reacts differently. There are many treatments that are suitable for curing arthritis. Your doctor would recommend suitable treatment for your arthritis after recognizing the type of arthritis.
Blood Test at Home
In human body, aches and pains are common. Those aches and the pains would go away after few days. If the pain persists over weeks then you must see a doctor for a checkup. Have a proper diagnosis of your condition and determine if arthritis may be the cause. Consult your doctor as early as possible and get arthritis profile blood test at home for better cure and faster one. The first visit to your doctor would be to diagnose if the pain that you are undergoing, clarify if it is arthritis or any other injury. Then the next step is finding out what kind of arthritis it is for proper treatment. Visiting your doctor is very important. Undergo a proper checkup while you have been attacked with arthritis. Early medication is better. Prevention is better than cure, thus you can take certain preventative measures to avoid the condition attacking you. Regular health checkup for your arthritis is very essential in order to keep it in control and let it increase.
Symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis
The symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis depend on the degree of tissue inflammation. When body tissues are inflamed, the disease becomes active. When the inflammation subsides, the disease goes into a remission. Remissions occur spontaneously or with treatment, and can last weeks, months, or years.
During remissions, symptoms of the disease go away, and patients normally feel well. When it becomes active again, the symptoms return. The return of disease symptoms and activity is called a flare or relapse. The course of a flare varies from patient to patient, and periods of flares and remissions are typical.
When the disease is active, symptoms include lack of appetite, low grade fever, fatigue, muscle and joint aches, and stiffness. Joint and muscle stiffness are usually most notable in the morning and/or after periods of inactivity. During flares, joints frequently become tender, swollen, red, and painful. This occurs because the lining tissue of the joint becomes inflamed, resulting in the production of excessive joint fluid. The synovium also thickens with inflammation. If you are suffering from this, we are recommending you to just go for Rheumatoid Factor (RF) Test, RF Blood Test is one of the blood test that is done to detect the level of Rheumatoid Factor in the Blood.
Different kinds of arthritis and their symptoms:
There are more than 100 different kinds of arthritis. Here are the most common types and their symptoms:
Osteoarthritis Arthritis Symptoms
This is also called degenerative arthritis. It occurs when the cushioning cartilage in a joint break down. It commonly affects feet, knees, hips, and fingers and affects 16 million Americans, mostly 45 and older. Half of those 65 and older have this form of arthritis.
Rheumatoid Arthritis Symptoms
The immune system attacks the lining, or synovial membrane, of the joints. This causes joint damage which can become severe and deforming. It involves the whole body, and may also cause fatigue, weight loss, and anemia, and affect the lungs, heart, and eyes. Rheumatoid arthritis affects about 2.1 million Americans, three times more women than men.
Gout Arthritis Symptoms
The symptoms are sudden, severe attacks, usually in the big toe, but any joint can be affected. This is a metabolic disorder in which uric acid builds up in the blood and crystals form in joints and other places. Drugs and proper attention to diet can control gout. Gout arthritis affects about 1 million Americans (70 to 80 percent men), with the first attack starting between 40 and 50 years of age.
Ankylosing Spondylitis Arthritis Symptoms
This is a chronic inflammatory disease of the spine that can result in fused vertebrae and a rigid spine. It is often milder and harder to diagnose in women. Most people with the disease also have a genetic marker known as HLA-B27. This affects about 318,000 Americans, usual men between the ages of 16 and 35.
Juvenile Arthritis Symptoms
The most common form of this is juvenile rheumatoid arthritis. The diagnosis, treatment, and disease characteristics are different in children and adults. Some children recover completely; others remain affected throughout their lives. This form of arthritis affects about 200,000 Americans.
Psoriatic Arthritis Symptoms
The bone and other joint tissues become inflamed. Like rheumatoid arthritis, it can affect the whole body. This disease affects about 5 percent of people with psoriasis, a chronic skin disease. It is most likely to affect the fingers or the spine. The symptoms are mild in most people but can be quite severe. It affects about 160,000 Americans.
Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Symptoms
This disease involves skin, joints, muscles, and sometimes internal organs. Symptoms often appear in women of childbearing age but can occur in anyone at any age. This is also called lupus or SLE and can be mild or life-threatening. This disease affects at least 131,000 Americans, nine to ten times as many women as men.
Arthritis Pain
Arthritis pain may come from different sources. These may include inflammation of the tissue that lines the joints, the tendons, or the ligaments; muscle strain and fatigue. A combination of these factors adds to the intensity of the pain. The pain of arthritis varies greatly from person to person, for reasons unknown to doctors.
Factors that contribute to the pain include swelling within the joint, the amount of heat or redness present, and/or damage that has occurred within the joint. Additionally, activities affect pain differently so that some patients note pain in their joints after first getting out of bed in the morning, whereas others develop pain after prolonged use of the joint. The threshold and tolerance for pain differs from individual to individual and is often affected by both physical and emotional factors.
These can include depression, anxiety, and even hypersensitivity at the affected areas due to tissue injury and inflammation. This increased sensitivity normally appears to affect the amount of pain perceived by the individual.
Coping with Arthritis Pain
The long-term goal of pain management is to help you cope with this chronic, often disabling arthritis pain. You may be caught in a cycle of depression, stress and pain. To attain freedom from this cycle, you need to be an active participant with the doctor and other health care professionals to help you manage your pain. This includes cognitive-behavioral therapy, physical therapy, biofeedback, occupational therapy, relaxation techniques, and family counseling therapy.
How to Manage Arthritis Pain
- Eat a healthy, nutritious diet.
- Get sufficient (8 to 10 hours) sleep at night.
- Keep a daily diary of pain and mood changes to share with your doctor.
- Choose a caring, dedicated physician.
- Join a support group for pain management and support for arthritis.
- Be informed about new research on managing arthritis pain.
