Arthritis Information
Arthritis
is one of the most common diseases in this country. It affects
millions of adults and half of all people age 65 and older.
Arthritis causes pain and loss of movement.
It can affect joints in any part of the body. It often is
a chronic disease, which means that it can affect you over
a long period of time. The more serious forms can cause
swelling, warmth, redness, and pain.
There are more than 100 different kinds
of arthritis and many different symptoms and treatments.
Scientists do not know what causes most forms of arthritis.
They understand some better than others.
Common Forms of
Arthritis
The three most common kinds of arthritis
in older people are osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis,
and gout.
Osteoarthritis Information- (OA) is
the most common type of arthritis in older people. It mostly
affects cartilage-the tissue that cushions the ends of bones
within the joint. OA often affects the hands and the large
weight-bearing joints of the body, such as knees and hips.
OA occurs when cartilage begins to fray,
wear, and decay. In some cases, all of the cartilage may
wear away between the bones of the joint, leaving bones
that rub against each other. Symptoms can range from stiffness
and mild pain that comes and goes, to severe joint pain.
OA can cause:
Joint pain,
Less joint motion,
And sometimes, disability.
Scientists think there may be several causes for OA in different
joints. OA in the hands or hips may run in families. OA
in the knees is linked with being overweight. Injuries or
overuse may cause OA in joints such as knees, hips, or hands.
Treatment. Rest, exercise, a healthy, well-balanced
diet, and learning the right way to use your joints are
key parts of any arthritis treatment program. Treatment
is different for
each kind of arthritis.
Right now there are no treatments that
cure OA, except surgery to replace joints. But improving
the way you use your joints through rest and exercise and
keeping your weight down will help you control the pain.
There are some drugs that help people manage
OA pain. They are called COX-2 inhibitors and NSAIDs (nonsteroidal
anti-inflammatory drugs such as ibuprofen and naproxen).
These drugs reduce swelling without use of stronger drugs
like cortisone or other steroids. COX-2 inhibitors are a
newer type of drug. They work like NSAIDs but may cause
fewer side effects.
Another new treatment involves shots of
hyaluronic acid (hyaluronic acid viscosupplementation) to
the area around the knee joint. The treatment adds fluid
to replace
natural fluids that the body has lost. It can help people
with arthritis keep movement in the knee without pain.
Rheumatoid Arthritis Information- (RA) is
an inflammatory disease that causes pain, swelling, stiffness,
and loss of function in the joints. People with RA often
have a wide range of other symptoms such as feeling tired,
running a fever, or generally not feeling well.
RA may occur in a balanced pattern throughout
the body. For example, if one knee or hand is involved,
the other one is too. The disease often affects wrist and
finger joints closest to the hand.
Treatment. RA treatments can help relieve
your pain, reduce swelling, slow down or stop joint damage,
increase your ability to function, and improve your sense
of well being. Treatment may include antirheumatic drugs,
called DMARDs (disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs), which
can slow the disease. Doctors will sometimes have you take
other drugs, called corticosteroids to relieve swelling
while you wait for DMARDs to take effect. Other drugs called
biologic response modifiers, sometimes work for people with
mild-to-moderate RA who have not been helped by other treatment.
Gout is one of the most
painful rheumatic diseases. It is caused by deposits of
needle-like crystals of uric acid in the connective tissue,
joint spaces, or both. These deposits lead to inflammatory
arthritis, which causes swelling, redness, heat, pain, and
stiffness in the joints.
Gout affects the toes, ankles, elbows,
wrists, and hands. Swelling may cause the skin to pull tightly
around the joint and make the area red or purple and very
tender. Medicines can stop gout attacks and prevent further
attacks and joint damage.
Treatment. With the right treatment, most
people with gout feel better. Treatment can help ease the
pain that comes with acute attacks, prevent future attacks,
and keep new uric acid deposits and kidney stones from forming.
The most common treatment for an acute
attack of gout uses high doses of NSAIDs and shots of glucocorticoids
drugs into the affected joint to lessen swelling. You may
start to feel better within a few hours of treatment. The
attack usually goes away fully within a few days.
Arthritis Symptoms & Warning Signs
Major arthritis symptoms are:
Swelling in one or more joints,
Stiffness around the joints that lasts for at least 1 hour
in the early morning,
Constant or recurring pain or tenderness in a joint,
Difficulty using or moving a joint normally,
Warmth and redness in a joint.
If any one of these symptoms lasts longer than 2 weeks,
see your regular doctor or a doctor who specializes in arthritis
(a rheumatologist). The doctor will ask questions about
the history of your symptoms and do a physical exam. The
doctor may take x-rays or do lab tests before developing
a treatment plan.
What Else Can You
Do?
Along with taking the right medicines,
exercise is key to managing arthritis symptoms. Daily exercise,
such as walking or swimming, helps keep joints moving, reduces
pain, and strengthens muscles around the joints. Rest also
is important for joints affected by arthritis.
Three types of exercise are best
for people with arthritis:
Range-of-motion exercises (for example,
dancing) help keep normal joint movement and relieve stiffness.
This type of exercise also helps you stay flexible.
Strengthening exercises (for example, weight training) help
keep or increase muscle strength. Strong muscles can help
support and protect joints affected by arthritis.
Aerobic or endurance exercises (for example, bicycle riding)
improve cardiovascular fitness, help control weight, and
improve overall function. Some studies show that aerobic
exercise also may reduce swelling in some joints.
The National Institute on Aging (NIA) has a 48-minute video
showing you how to start
and stick with a safe exercise program. The Institute also
has an 80-page companion
booklet. Call 1-800-222-2225 (TTY: 1-800-222-4225)
for more information. Before beginning any exercise program,
talk with your doctor or health care worker.
Along with exercise, some people find other
ways to help ease the pain around joints. These include
applying heat or cold, soaking in a warm bath, swimming
in a heated pool,
and controlling or losing weight. Weight control is key
for people who have arthritis because extra weight puts
extra pressure on many joints. Weight loss can lower stress
on joints and help prevent more damage.
Your doctor may suggest surgery when damage
to the joints becomes disabling or when other treatments
fail to reduce pain. Surgeons can repair or replace damaged
joints with artificial ones. In the most common operations,
doctors replace hips and knees.
Unproven Arthritis Remedies
Many people with arthritis try remedies
that have not been tested. Some of these remedies, such
as snake venom, are harmful. Others, such as copper bracelets,
are harmless but also useless. The safety of many unproven
remedies is unknown. Always seek out accurate arthritis information.
Some people try taking dietary supplements,
such as Glucosamine and Chondroitin, to ease arthritis pain.
Scientists are studying these and other alternative treatments
to find out if they work and are safe. More information
is needed before any recommendations can be made.
Here are some signs that a remedy may be
unproven:
The remedy claims that a treatment, like
a lotion or cream works, for all types of arthritis and
other diseases;
Scientific support comes from only one research study; or
The label has no directions for use or warnings about side
effects.
For more arthritis information
contact:
National Institute of Arthritis and
Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases
NIAMS Information Clearinghouse
1 AMS Circle
Bethesda, Maryland 20892-3675
301-495-4484
877-22-NIAMS (226-4267)
TTY: 301-565-2966
Fax: 301-718-6366
American College of Rheumatology/Association
of Rheumatology Health Professionals
1800 Century Place
Suite 250
Atlanta, GA 30345-4300
404-633-3777
Fax: 404-633-1870
Arthritis Foundation
P.O. Box 7669
Atlanta, GA 30357-0669
1-800-283-7800, or check the telephone directory for your
local chapter
Fax: 404-872-0457
For more information about health and aging, call or write:
National Institute on Aging
Information Center
P.O. Box 8057
Gaithersburg, MD 20898-8057
1-800-222-2225
1-800-222-4225 (TTY)
National Institute on Aging
U. S. Department of Health and Human Services
National Institutes of Health
January 2002
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