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Rheumatoid arthritis
It is a condition that involves inflammation. It causes the
immune system to attack the joints. Due to the joint destruction
and pain the patient will not be in a position to move. It also
affects the other tissues in the body including heart, blood
vessels, skin, muscles and lungs. It is distinguished from other
arthritis in which the inflammation and the swelling of the soft
tissues of many joints occur simultaneously. The deformities
that are involved in rheumatoid arthritis are swan neck
deformity, boutonniere deformity and Z-thumb deformity. Blood
tests are done to check for arthritis. The main thing checked in
blood test in the rheumatoid factor. Treatments for rheumatoid
arthritis include anti-inflammatory agents, analgesics and
anti-rheumatic drugs.
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Septic
arthritis
Septic arthritis is characterized by inflammation and increase
of bacteria in joints. It is suspected when a person is affected
with one joint followed by fever. The bacteria penetrate in to
the joint through a cut in the skin or carried by bloodstream
through any other infectious focus. It is generally diagnosed by
laboratory tests wherein it is tested for the presence of
neutrophils and other diagnosis done include aspiration, gram
stain, culture of fluid from the joint etc. It is usually
treated with analgesics, antibiotics or aspiration.
Aloe
Osteoarthritis (OA)
It is the most common type of arthritis. It is a Greek term
wherein osteo means bone, arthro means joint and itis means
inflammation. Overall it is a condition where the cartilage,
which acts as a cushion inside the joints, is worn out. Due to
this the patients suffer with pain during walking, lifting
weights etc. It can be divided into primary OA and secondary OA.
Primary OA is due to ageing and secondary OA is due to other
diseases or conditions. The symptoms noticed in OA are:
Pain in the joints.
Contraction of the tendons.
Muscle spasm.
Cracking noise when the affected joint is moved.
Diagnosis is done through x-ray tests. There is no proper
treatment for osteoarthritis since it is not possible for
cartilage to grow back. However, treatments such as
anti-inflammatory drugs, glucocorticoid injections are given.
Ankylosing spondylitis
It is an inflammatory disease that mainly affects the spine and
sacroiliac joints. It eventually causes the spine to fuse and
become rigid leading to a condition known as the bamboo spine.
In this case generally males are affected almost three times
more than females. It is associated with mouth ulcers, fatigue,
eye pain, Reiters disease and ulcerative colitis. Diagnosis is
done through x-rays to study the affected spine. Although there
is no cure for the disease certain treatments and medications
are given to reduce the pain and inflammation. Treatments given
are physical exercises, TNF receptors and anti-inflammatory
drugs.
Gout
This type of arthritis is formed due to the accumulation of uric
acid crystals in joints. It is also called as gouty arthritis.
It commonly affects the big toe. It can also affect other areas
such as elbow, knee, fingers, spine and wrist. It is
distinguished by four stages: asymtomatic, acute, intercritical
and chronic. The symptoms are usually:
Fever.
Swelling and pain in the joint.
Warmness of the joint.
Redness of toe.
The diagnosis includes the testing the patient for Hyperuricemia.
Other tests performed are checking for electrolytes, full blood
count, kidney function and erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR).
The treatments given are first and foremost is to reduce the
pain. Anti-inflammatory drugs, intraarticular glucocorticoids
and other drugs like indometacin are prescribed.
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