Symptoms

Arthritis can develop in many diseases - infectious, allergic, metabolic, blood diseases, tumor processes, rheumatism Rheumatic fever - are possible complications of heart , Systemic connective tissue diseases, certain diseases of the intestine, and so forth. In all these cases, the process is completely reversible in the joints. But there are chronic polyarthritis, which are the main manifestation of diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis Arthritis - a variety of forms and complications , Ankylosing spondylitis, psoriatic arthritis Psoriatic arthritis: does not depend on gender or age   and Reiter's disease.

Common symptoms of arthritis

Current fever may be acute, subacute or chronic. Common symptoms are pain in the joints, their deformation, dysfunction of joints, change in temperature and color of soft tissue over the joint.

Pain in arthritis are spontaneous, they are most intense in the second half of the night and morning. Reduced pain after the start of the movement - this suggests inflammatory pain. In acute inflammation of joint pain are strong and constant, accompanied by a significant limitation of function joint pain, redness and swelling of the soft tissues. When subacute all these manifestations are less pronounced. The deformation of the joint at the same time is a consequence of changes in the soft tissues (edema and inflammation).

The shape of the joint does not change much due to swelling of soft tissue, as by the proliferation of the connective tissue within the joint, bony outgrowths, education subluxation and contractures (joint due to persistent information soft tissue or bone).

Violation of the joint can be caused by pain, and changes in joint tissues. It may be easy, it does not deprive the patient's disability, and heavy, with complete loss of function of the limb. In acute polyarthritis dysfunction is reversible, chronic processes gradually develop persistent irreversible changes.

In acute and subacute inflammatory processes, as well as exacerbation of chronic may increase the temperature of the skin over the joint.

Current polyarthritis of different origins may be different. There are acute, short-lived and completely reversible form (allergies, rheumatoid arthritis), as well as long-occurring chronic, the outcome of which may be a total loss of joint function (rheumatoid, psoriatic polyarthritis). Chronic forms of polyarthritis often lead to disability of patients.

Symptoms of psoriatic arthritis

Psoriatic arthritis often develops in patients who already have cutaneous manifestations of the disease. There is an average of 6 years after the onset of psoriasis, but in some cases, the disease starts with arthritis or with the simultaneous destruction of the skin and joints.

In psoriatic arthritis its manifestations very similar to rheumatoid Nevertheless, this disease has its own peculiarities. First of all, in psoriasis affected end (distal) interphalangeal joints of the fingers while the defeat of nails. Then affects two or three joints arranged asymmetrically. But in severe joint disease psoriasis may be multiple. It is also characteristic the simultaneous development of the inflammatory process in all joints of the same finger, causing the finger takes the form of sausages, painted in purple-bluish tone. Often such arthritis complicated by dissolving the bone (osteolysis) and disfigurement fingers.

Another distinctive feature of the joint disease psoriasis (psoriasis, and this is similar to the disease spondylitis) is a lesion of the intervertebral joints of the lumbar region and sacroiliac joints, which can develop stillness.

The feature exists in the course of the disease, which begins at the exacerbation along with skin manifestations.

Treatment for nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), in severe forms of the disease glucocorticosteroid drugs (administered including the joint cavity) and immunosuppressants (they inhibit the activity of the immune system). Also shown are the restorative treatment, physiotherapy, health-resort treatment.

Arthritis - a disease that have different causes. In some ways, they appear similar, but there are significant differences within the individual diseases.

Galina Romanenko

Causes and types of arthritis

Polyarthritis may occur in the background of various infectious diseases (viral hepatitis Hepatitis - the scourge of our time Gonorrhea Gonorrhea - self-ruled , Dysentery) - infectious arthritis Infectious arthritis - requires timely and adequate treatment , Metabolic diseases (gout) - exchange or crystalline arthritis, allergies including autoallergens (allergy to the body's own tissues), local trauma, and others. However, the causes of rheumatoid (system) arthritis, has still not been established.

What happens in the joints

Fabrics joints, including synovial membrane (sheath that surrounds the joint) supplied with numerous blood vessels and nerve endings, giving them the ability to instantly respond to any inflammation of the internal or external influence. When the infection or infectious polyarthritis misses the joint with blood and then develop severe, sometimes purulent joint disease, or blood products fall into the joint microorganisms, in which case the process is easier and usually disappears under the influence of treatment.

When the exchange (crystalline) polyarthritis inflammation caused by salt crystals that are deposited in the joints and injure the synovium.

In rheumatoid arthritis in the formation of the disease involves all parts of the immune process, genetic factors, and environmental factors. One of the signs of rheumatoid arthritis is an inflammation of the membranes and cell proliferation, which signed the joint (synovium). Here is a rapid growth of small blood vessels, formed a special (granulation) tissue, which eventually penetrate into the cartilage and destroys it. This leads to a dysfunction of the joint.

Infectious polyarthritis

Infectious polyarthritis may occur in the background of any infectious process - Brucellosis, tuberculosis, gonorrheal polyarthritis and others. Typically, the process significantly improved the treatment of the underlying disease. But any polyarthritis, if not to treat it in time, prone to chronic course, and thus to dysfunction of the joint.

Crystal polyarthritis

Crystalline polyarthritis characterized by metabolic disorders, whereby crystals deposited in the joints of various salts. So, in gout due to decreased excretion of uric acid crystals are deposited its (urate) which have an acicular shape, they irritate the tissues of the joints, causing inflammation. Sometimes this process (gout attack) happens only once in your life, in other cases, repeated several times, resulting in joint deformity.

Rheumatoid arthritis

Rheumatoid arthritis - a general (systemic), a chronic, often progressive disease that is characterized by multiple inflammatory lesions of the joints, is not related to any infection. In rheumatoid arthritis affected connective tissue, so the disease is called a system. Often, the process involved and the internal organs (heart, blood vessels, kidneys). It is important to be aware of the early signs of rheumatoid arthritis, as the outcome of his largely depends on the timely initiation of treatment.

Rheumatoid arthritis occurs in different ways: from a slight injury of one or two large joints without express violation of their functions to the so-called septicemic form, accompanied by fever and debilitating lesions of the internal organs. But usually affects the small joints of the hands and feet.

Often there is atrophy (shrinking) muscles near affected joints. The disease progresses gradually, deformed joints cease to function correctly. The process involves the tendons, decreased muscle mass. Brush takes the form of flippers with a deviation in the direction of the fingers. Affects the small joints in the foot, formed flat, deformation of the toes and the deviation to the outside. In the area of ​​the elbow can be felt dense painless nodules. Due to the destruction of nerve trunks growing numbness, burning, coldness in the extremities.

The prognosis of polyarthritis

Of great importance for any form of arthritis is a timely diagnosis and, therefore, correctly prescribed treatment, since all polyarthritis prone to chronic course, which means that while there is a strong violation of the joint, leading to disability.