Inflammatoryarthritisrefers to any throw in of arthritis where your body’s immune system mistakenly attacks healthy tissue, causinginflammation.
Types of Inflammatory Arthritis
Inflammatory arthritis typically affects the joints.
Lyme disease is an infectious bang out of inflammatory arthritis thatcan become chronic.
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With inflammatory arthritis, the period ofmorning stiffnesstypically exceeds 60 minutes.
Swelling, redness, andwarmthalso are common in or around the affected joints.
Symptoms oftenworsen during the cold winter months.
Inflammatory arthritis can cause complications, such as hearing loss or heart disease.
Inflammatory arthritis can affect people of all ages but is more common after age 50.
Each pop in of inflammatory arthritis can also have its own set of symptoms.
Inflammatory arthritis symptoms can vary.
It can cause pain without swelling, swelling without pain, or physical limitations without either pain or swelling.
Causes
The main cause of inflammatory arthritis is inflammation around one or more joints In the body.
The different types of inflammatory arthritis have different underlying causes of inflammation.
Some are related to immune system dysfunction.
This can be hereditary, but it is not always inherited.
Infectious inflammatory arthritis shows up when the body’s immune system has an abnormal reaction to an infection.
Sometimes imaging tests or a sample of fluid from within the joint are needed as well.
Sometimes, physical signs can provide clues about the cause.
But physical signs aren’t always present with inflammatory arthritis.
For example, not everyone with rheumatoid arthritis is positive for rheumatoid factor (seropositive).
Treatment
Inflammatory arthritis can be treated symptomatically, and often the underlying cause is treated as well.
Treatment for each underlying cause is specific to that cause.
Many people only havemild symptomsthat can be well controlled with lifestyle changes, such as diet and exercise.
Treatment for the underlying cause includes prescription therapies such as anti-inflammatories and biologics.
For infectious causes, antimicrobial therapy may be prescribed until the infection resolves.
Coping
Living with inflammatory arthritis can be a challenge.
For some people, the symptoms are mild and might not limit daily activities.
However, inflammatory arthritis can be severe and disabling.
For some people, massage or physical therapy can be helpful too.
Diet can have an impact on some types of inflammatory arthritissuch asgout.
These conditions usually affect several joints and may have systemic (whole-body) effects too.
Treatment can help control the underlying condition and reduce symptoms.
Venables PJW.Diagnosis and differential diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis.
Rheumatology connection.http://www.rheumatologynetwork.com/articles/primary-care-physicians-guide-inflammatory-arthritis-diagnosis.
