Arthritis  Symptoms, Causes , Diagnosis and Unknown Facts
Arthritis is a disorder of structure or function in a human, animal, or plant, especially one that produces specific symptoms or that affects a specific location and is not simply a direct result of physical injury.


What is Arthritis ?



Arthritis is a disease of joints (inflammation of joints). There are many types of arthritis.

Types of Arthritis are:

  • Osteoarthritis: It is often related to aging or to an injury.
  • Rheumatoid arthritis: It is the most common form of arthritis.
  • Juvenile rheumatoid arthritis: It is a form of the disease that occurs in children.
  • Infectious arthritis: It is an infection that has spread from another part of the body to the joint.
  • Gout: It is Inflammation of joints.

The major complaint of individual is pain in joints which is localized and is often consistent. The pain from arthritis is due to inflammation that occurs around the joint, damaged joint due to daily wear and tear or disease, muscle strains caused by forceful movements against stiff painful joints and fatigue.





Arthritis Symptoms



The commonest symptoms involve joints. Joint pain and stiffness is common feature along with swelling of joints.
Arthritic disorders like lupus and rheumatoid can also affect other organs in the body with a variety of symptoms.

  • Difficulty in walking
  • Malaise and a feeling of tiredness
  • Weight loss
  • Poor sleep
  • Muscle aches and pains
  • Tenderness
  • Difficulty in moving the joint



Arthritis Causes



When inflammation occurs, chemicals from the body are released into the blood or affected tissues. This release of chemicals increases the blood flow to the area of injury or infection and may result in redness and warmth. Some of the chemicals cause leakage of fluid into the tissues, resulting in swelling. This process may stimulate nerves and cause pain.



Arthritis Diagnosis



  • Physical Examination: It may show swollen, warm or red joints with restriction of movement.
  • Blood test: This is generally done for rheumatoid arthritis.
  • Rheumatoid factor (RF): It is checked for rheumatoid arthritis. However, RF can also be found in people without RA or with other autoimmune disorders. In general, if no rheumatoid factor is present in someone with RA, the course of the disease is less severe.
  • Levels of ESR (erythrocyte sedimentation rate) and C-reactive protein (CRP) levels: These are also increased. Both CRP and ESR levels are used to check disease activity and also to monitor how well someone is responding to treatment.
  • Imaging scans: Like X-ray, CT scans and MRI are commonly used to get the image of bones and cartilage to ascertain diagnosis.