| Today there are about 70 million Americans with | | | | thumb. |
| arthritis...that's one person out of every four who suffer | | | | Osteoarthritis is considered to be a degenerative joint |
| both pain and the expense of this crippling disease. In | | | | disease. Along with inflammation, there is wear and |
| one year alone, arthritis will be responsible for over half | | | | tear on the inside of the joint. |
| a billion dollars in lost wages. The economic | | | | This causes damage to the cartilage (the substance |
| consequences of arthritis are important to review | | | | that forms the surface of the joints and works as a |
| because each year, arthritis takes a devastating | | | | shock absorber). As the cartilage wears thin, the |
| financial toll on our society. | | | | underlying bone is damaged. This process results in |
| Over the course of ten years, arthritis related work | | | | progressive pain, stiffness, and loss of function. |
| loss has been associated with a 37% drop in income | | | | Osteoarthritis does not need to be disabling and with |
| for arthritics - all those without arthritis had a 90% rise | | | | the proper medical care can be managed easily. |
| in income over the same period of time! | | | | Rheumatoid arthritis is the other most common type of |
| If you...a friend...or a relative has arthritis, it's important to | | | | arthritis. It is more common in women and affects 7 |
| know that early treatment can help sufferers continue | | | | million Americans...or one out of every five arthritis |
| with their normal daily lives and remain productive | | | | patients. It may affect any age group, although onset is |
| members of the community. | | | | most common in middle age. |
| The term "arthritis" is derived from the Greek: "arthron" | | | | Rheumatoid arthritis is usually characterized by heat, |
| meaning "joint" and "itis" meaning inflammation. Arthritis | | | | swelling, and pain in multiple joints in both the right and |
| is a word that describes over 100 different conditions, | | | | left sides of the body, including the hands, wrists, |
| some involving inflammation and others not. | | | | elbows, hips, knees, ankles, and feet. Spinal involvement |
| Arthritis is not a single disease. It encompasses about | | | | also occurs on occasion. |
| 100 different conditions, that affect joints and that pose | | | | The typical pattern of rheumatoid arthritis in the hands |
| unique problems for diagnosis and treatment. | | | | involves the proximal interphalangeal (PIP) joints, the |
| Some common types of arthritis include osteoarthritis, | | | | metacarpal phalangeal (MCP) joints, the wrists, and the |
| rheumatoid arthritis, gout, pseudo-gout, ankylosing | | | | elbows. |
| spondylitis, polymyalgia rheumatica, psoriatic arthritis, | | | | Unlike osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis can affect the |
| Reiter's disease, systemic lupus erythematosus, and | | | | entire body. People with this disease may feel sick all |
| fibromyalgia. | | | | over...tire easily...lose their appetite...and lose weight. |
| Most types of arthritis involve joint inflammation. | | | | In rheumatoid arthritis, the tissue that surrounds and |
| Inflammation is the body's natural response to injury or | | | | nourishes the joints is attacked by the body's immune |
| infection. | | | | system. The body mistakenly perceives its own tissue |
| For an example of inflammation, take a simple | | | | as foreign, and it reacts by sending special white blood |
| scratch...your body automatically releases chemicals | | | | cells and toxic chemicals called cytokines to destroy |
| that cause fluids to accumulate and white blood cells | | | | the foreign material. (The cytokine abnormalities that |
| to gather around the area of the scratch. As your | | | | cause the damage in rheumatoid arthritis are different |
| body fights foreign substances and bacteria, | | | | from the abnormalities seen in osteoarthritis.) This |
| inflammation...redness...heat...swelling...and pain occur at | | | | process of white cell migration and cytokine release |
| the sight of the injury. | | | | damages the joint. |
| In arthritis, unfortunately, this natural defense | | | | Although we do not know the cause of rheumatoid |
| mechanism goes awry. Elements from the blood | | | | arthritis, researchers are investigating several |
| designed to fight infection and repair injury attack the | | | | possibilities. |
| body instead. | | | | Another interesting point about rheumatoid arthritis is |
| And, unless this inflammatory process is halted, it will | | | | that this disease can affect the internal organs including |
| continue to attack the body and cause joint | | | | the lungs, skin, blood vessels, spleen, heart, and |
| destruction. | | | | muscles. |
| So you can begin to see how treatments that just | | | | If rheumatoid arthritis is not well controlled it can |
| relieve the pain associated with arthritis - but that do | | | | damage the joints irreversibly and cause serious |
| not reduce inflammation - may not adequately treat | | | | disability. |
| this disease. | | | | To diagnose rheumatoid arthritis, the rheumatologist |
| Getting proper treatment early on is | | | | establishes the presence of joint pain and inflammation |
| important...because proper care can help arthritis | | | | lasting at least six weeks and then looks for signs of |
| sufferers lead more active and comfortable lives. | | | | the course of the disease that are characteristic for |
| Yet many people with arthritis delay going to a | | | | rheumatoid arthritis. |
| physician. Either they have fear about going to a | | | | There are also blood tests that aid in the diagnosis of |
| doctor or they feel that nothing can be done for | | | | rheumatoid arthritis. |
| arthritis. Other reasons include the notion that all arthritis | | | | Patients with rheumatoid arthritis have a series of |
| medicines are harmful or arthritis is just a normal part | | | | flare-ups followed by a period where there are mild or |
| of aging. | | | | no symptoms. Usually, the pain and disability of |
| Some people try unproven remedies which also delay | | | | rheumatoid arthritis progresses gradually. |
| proper diagnosis and treatment. | | | | Morning stiffness generally lasts longer than half an |
| Since arthritis may evolve gradually, people often | | | | hour and may last several hours depending on the |
| ignore its early warning symptoms or signs. These | | | | severity of the condition. |
| include persistent pain, tenderness, or swelling in one or | | | | Most forms of arthritis persist for the patient's lifetime. |
| more joints...symptoms that should not be dismissed as | | | | Medication cannot usually reverse the bone and soft |
| signs of age. | | | | tissue damage caused by arthritis. |
| Other warning symptoms are joint pain and | | | | However, new methods of measuring inflammation |
| stiffness...especially when they appear in the morning. | | | | and its response to medication and other treatments |
| Low back pain is one of the earliest symptoms of | | | | offer valuable information to physicians...and can help to |
| arthritis. For people over the age of 60, arthritis is the | | | | evaluate the arthritis sufferer's discomfort. |
| most frequent cause of low back pain. | | | | Magnetic resonance imaging is one such technique. |
| The activity of arthritis varies unpredictably. Symptoms | | | | This method using the effects that strong magnets |
| are cyclic in nature and seem to come and go. | | | | have on water molecules to provide exquisite images |
| Therefore, it is important to remember that any | | | | of the interior of the body. MRI has been used to |
| symptoms or signs of arthritis that last for more than | | | | diagnose and also assess the degree of damage |
| six weeks - no matter how mild - should be checked | | | | within joints of patients suffering from arthritis. It is also |
| by a physician. And, if symptoms are severe, then | | | | helpful for evaluating the effect of new drugs. |
| even waiting six weeks might be too long. | | | | Although there is no cure for arthritis, proper treatment |
| The two most common types of arthritis are | | | | can help tremendously. The goal of arthritis treatment |
| osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis. Joint inflammation | | | | is to relieve the pain and stiffness due to the |
| is involved in both. | | | | progressive destruction caused by inflammation, and to |
| But, these types of arthritis differ in terms of...age of | | | | maintain or increase freedom of movement. |
| patients who are affected...the joints involved...the | | | | Among the advancements that have taken place in |
| pattern of stiffness...and the potential for disability. | | | | the medical treatment of arthritis are various |
| Close to 16 million Americans have osteoarthritis - the | | | | disease-modifying medications that not only relieve |
| most common type of arthritis. Although osteoarthritis | | | | symptoms but also help slow down the progression of |
| can occur at any age, it most often begins in people in | | | | disease. |
| their 50's and 60's. | | | | Other advances include various cartilage sparing drugs, |
| Osteoarthritis or degenerative disc disease is a | | | | cartilage growing drugs, and also biologic remedies. |
| disorder of cartilage - the gristle that covers the ends | | | | These drugs act by blocking the destructive effects of |
| of long bones. Cartilage is made of cell called | | | | enzymes such as metalloproteases in osteoarthritis |
| chondrocytes which sit inside a framework made up | | | | and cytokines in rheumatoid arthritis. By targeting |
| of collagen and proteoglyens. Under normal conditions, | | | | specific processes, relief of symptoms and healing of |
| chondrocytes make collagen and proteoglycens - in | | | | damage can take place with presumably fewer side |
| other works - they make the framework they sit | | | | effects. |
| inside. With osteoarthritis, chondrocytes behave | | | | What can you do if you think you have arthritis? |
| abnormally and begin to make destructive enzymes | | | | First, you can consult your doctor. This is important |
| such as collagenasese, stromelysin and others. These | | | | because medical issues are complicated and your |
| enzymes degrade cartilage...these enzymes also | | | | doctor, who understands your health needs, can |
| attract inflammatory cells which secrete substances | | | | prescribe the best treatment for you. |
| called cytokines which cause further inflammation and | | | | The type of doctor who can best evaluate arthritis is |
| damage to cartilage, underlying bone, and the joint lining. | | | | called a rheumatologist. These are physicians who |
| This process results in progressive pain, stiffness, and | | | | have completed four years of medical school, three |
| loss of function. | | | | years of internal medicine residency, and three years |
| Joint pain and stiffness are the most noticeable | | | | of rheumatology fellowship. |
| symptoms of osteoarthritis. Morning stiffness is usually | | | | While arthritis can be a serious disease that can |
| brief lasting less than 15 minutes. Osteoarthritis usually | | | | progress and cause disability, science has come up |
| affects weight bearing areas particularly the neck, low | | | | with some new answers for arthritis sufferers. It is |
| back, hips and knees. | | | | now up to the arthritis sufferer to recognize early |
| It may also affect the fingers and hands and bony | | | | warning signs and symptoms and to see a |
| knobs may appear at the finger joints. The base of | | | | rheumatologist. With proper medical care, the course |
| the thumb may also be affected. The typical pattern | | | | of this crippling disease may change and people can |
| of osteoarthritis in the hands involves the distal and | | | | help to be returned to fully active lives - without pain |
| proximal interphalangeal (DIP and PIP) joints of the | | | | and crippling disability. |
| fingers, and the carpometacarpal (CMC) joint of the | | | | |