Many people refer to Arthritis as a generalised single condition. It is in fact a group of conditions that affect the Synovial joints in the body. The pain can range from being relatively painless to being excruciating. There are over 10 million people suffering from some form of Arthritis in the UK, which is every one in five adults. Young people are also affected, with 12,000 children currently suffering with Arthritis and 27,000 people suffering under the age of 25.
So what are the different types of Arthritis? There are three types, which are rheumatoid, psoriatic, and the most common form osteoarthritis. All three types involve similar symptoms such as joint pain, stiffness of the body, muscle fatigue and impaired mobility. Arthritis affects a person’s ability to perform their everyday tasks easily and it gets worse with age.
Rheumatoid Arthritis causes the immune system to attack the joints in the body; it is a chronic, inflammatory disorder. As it is an inflammatory disorder it causes the arthritis to become very painful, due to the destruction of joints leading to loss of mobility. The joints that are principally affected are called Synovial, the Synovial cavity is the small area between bones in a joint, that is filled with synovial fluid.
Examples of Synovial joints are:
- The carpals of the wrist.
- The elbow.
- Finger joints.
- Shoulder joints.
- Hip joints.
- Knee joints.
Psoriatic Arthritis develops most commonly in people who have a chronic skin condition called Psoriasis. Symptoms of this type of arthritis, different to the common symptoms are; sausage-like swelling in the fingers or toes, known as dactylitis, pain in the area of the Sacrum just above the tailbone and seperation from the nail bed on fingers.
Osteoarthritis is a degenerative joint disease, with inflammation that is caused by the wearing of cartilage that covers the inside of a joint causing the pain. The process occurs when the bone surface become less protected by cartilage, therefore the patient feels more pressure and weight bearing upon their bones whilst performing bodily functions. There are two types of Osteoarthritis; primary and secondary.
In Primary Osteoarthritis, as a person ages the water content in their cartilage decreases consequently causing the cartilage to become less resilient to pressure. As the collagen fibers in cartilage have become weaker it can become susceptible to degradation and inflammation of the surrounding joint capsule. This occurs from the breakdown of products released into the Synovial cavity. New bone can form on the margins of joints in an attempt to improve the congruency of the cartilage surface, but these changes to the bone structure is very painful for the patient. Secondary Osteoarthritis is where Primary Osteoarthritis is already being undergone by the patient but is made worse by factors such as Diabetes, Inflammatory diseases, Injuries and Obesity.
Unfortunately there is no cure for Arthritis, but there are several ways in which the symptoms such as pain and the inflammation can be reduced. Painkillers, such as Paracetamol are the most common and safe way to reduce pain in the joints and are often tried first. If the pain is significant and Paracetamol doesn’t have a strong effect then stronger painkillers, containing high doses of Codeine are used, these are however prescription only.
Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are the other common treatment for Arthritis; they reduce inflammation and joint swelling and provide some pain relief for the patient. Negatively however they can cause stomach problems when taken over a long period of time. The ways to minimise these problems is by taking the tablet after meals and not consuming alcohol or smoking. Ibuprofen is the most widely used NSAID but there are several others that your local GP can prescribe for you.
Hopefully by reading about Arthritis and how seriously it can affect your life, I hope you make an active decision to prevent it from happening to you by maintaining a healthy diet and taking part in regular exercise.
