Introduction:

Inflammatory Arthritis causes the joints to swell and become tender. There are many different
types of arthritis, but most types cause pain and stiffness in the affected areas of the joints.
Some common types of inflammatory arthritis are rheumatoid arthritis, gout, and fibromyalgia.
Arthritis is a condition that worsens with age, and therefore early interventions can help prevent
severe effects that restrict a patient's day-to-day movements. Several risk factors can be
controlled to reduce the risk of certain types of arthritis, which include overweight and obesity,
joint injuries, and smoking. While one cannot control other risk factors such as age, gender, and
genetics and has to depend on treatments and medications. The treatments involved are
hydrotherapy, physiotherapy, or at times, intraarticular injections in early arthritis and joint
replacement surgeries. While medications administered are generally non-steroidal anti-
inflammatory drugs, steroids, analgesic, narcotic and immunosuppressive drugs

 

Early signs of arthritis:

As arthritis is a condition affecting the joints, early signs indicating the onset of the condition is
also observed to be mostly around that area:
1. Pain in joint or arthralgia:
This is the first sign of arthritis. This pain is known to be a dull ache and a burning sensation.
The pain progresses with continuous use of the joints.
2. Swelling and tenderness:
The pain that occurs due to arthritis may lead to swelling up of the joint. The inflammation
results from the excess synovial fluid, a joint lubricant. This is also responsible for the restriction
of joint movement
3. Redness:
Due to pain and inflammation, some patients may observe redness around the joints.
4. Stiffness, especially in the morning:
Stiffness first thing in the morning occurs due to a lack of lubrication. This might occur due to
cold weather or humidity too.
5. Loss range of motion deformity.
Causes of arthritis:

There are several reasons which might cause different types of Arthritis, such as:
1. Due to joint overuse, wear and tear might occur.
2. Age (especially in adults over age 50)
3. Injuries caused in the joints
4. Lifestyle choices: unhealthy eating habits leading to obesity, smoking, etc.
5. Autoimmune disorders
6. Genetic or family history
7. Muscle weakness

Diagnosis of Arthritis:

To identify the exact type of arthritis, various laboratory tests and body imaging is prescribed to
the patients.
1. Laboratory tests:
Body fluids are commonly analyzed, including blood, urine, and joint fluids. Doctors
collect joint fluid samples by first cleansing the area and applying a numbing cream.
Then they insert a needle inside the joint and extract some fluids.
2. Imaging:
These are used to detect issues inducing the symptoms within the joints:
1. X-Ray: It is a radiation technique to visualize bone damage, cartilage loss, and
bone spurs. This technique may not help identify the early onset of arthritis but
often helps to track disease progression.
2. Computerised tomography: CT scanners are used to visualized cross-sectional
views of inner structures. Therefore, helps with the imaging of both bones and
surrounding soft tissues.
3. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI): This technique uses radio waves and strong
magnetic fields to produce detailed cross-sectional images of soft tissues.
4. Ultrasound: To image soft tissues, ultrasound uses high-frequency radio waves.
This technique also guides the needle placement while extracting joint fluids or
administering medications to the joints.

 

Arthritis symptoms:

The typical pain areas are:
Joints, ankle, back, fingers, hands, muscles, neck, or wrist
Joints: This is where early signs of stiffness, tenderness, or swelling progress over time and
intensify.
Muscle: The patients experience restricted motion range around the joints or muscle weakness
Hand: Sometimes, due to accumulation of uric acid, a bump can be observed, or a bony
outgrowth appears in fingers or toes
Whole body: Due to muscle weakness and constant pain, the body might experience fatigue or
malaise
Other common symptoms are: Flare, physical deformity, redness, or stiff neck

 

World arthritis day:

Each year on October 12, World Arthritis Day is observed to create general awareness about
this disease. Every year there is a new theme around which they take action toward the goal.
This year the theme that was undertaken is, 'It's in your hand; take action.' The aim was to
improve the quality of life of those suffering from Arthritis by encouraging people with arthritis,
their families, caregivers, and everyone else to take fruitful actions.