Arthritis

Overview

Arthritis is a condition that causes pain and inflammation in joints. It affects over 210 million people in India, which is about 15% of the population. Some common symptoms of arthritis include discomfort in joints, stiffness, or warmth in knees, spine or hips. People from any age group can suffer from this condition. It is an incurable disease with no permanent solution. However, making certain lifestyle changes, taking physical therapy and following professional guidance can help manage it effectively.

What is Arthritis?

The disruption of movement caused due to inflammation or stiffness of one or more joints is popularly referred to as arthritis. It is a degenerative disease in which the cartilage joints deteriorate over time. This can lead to stiffness, pain or inflammation of joints.

While most types of arthritis are age-related, this condition can affect young individuals as well. This condition is accompanied by symptoms like joint pain, discomfort and tenderness that can worsen over time if left unattended.

Types of Arthritis

Broadly, arthritis is classified under two categories:

Inflammatory arthritis: It leads to inflammation of joints, causing stiffness pain and swelling.

Non-inflammatory arthritis: It does not cause swelling of joints, it still causes pain and damage, making movement challenging.

Some of the most common types of arthritis include:

Osteoarthritis

This chronic arthritis type is referred to as the ‘wear and tear’ arthritis and is prevalent in aged people. It causes the cartilage at the end of the bones to wear down. The weight-bearing joints in the body, including the spine, knees and hips are majorly affected due to this condition.

Rheumatoid Arthritis

This autoimmune condition affects multiple joint linings, causing inflammation. Rheumatoid arthritis results in weight loss, fatigue, and loss of appetite, as well as stiffness and swelling in the joints. Common symptoms include discomfort in your hands, feet and wrists.

Gout

Gout results in buildup of uric acid crystals in the joints. People may experience symptoms such as swelling, sharp and sudden joint pains, and warmth around the affected area. While there is no permanent cure for this condition, the amount of uric acid can be reduced in the body by managing food habits.

Psoriatic Arthritis

People with a chronic skin condition called psoriasis are at risk of developing psoriatic arthritis. While an individual may notice symptoms such as silvery scales and red skin with psoriasis, one may also experience fatigue, joint pain, inflammation and stiffness with this type of arthritis. Consuming anti-inflammatory medicines under professional guidance and availing physical therapy may help improve this condition.

Other different types of arthritis that can cause damage to joints across one's body include:

Ankylosing Spondylitis

This is a long-term inflammatory arthritis condition affecting the muscles, ligaments and bones of the spine. This fuses the joints together and causes stiffness. One may also experience swelling in large joints, tendons, and eyes.

Cervical Spondylosis

Commonly known as degenerative osteoarthritis, it affects the bones and joints in the neck and causes stiffness.

Lupus

It is an inflammatory disease where an individual's immunity system affects the body's tissues and many different organs.

Fibromyalgia

It is a chronic condition that is characterised by pain throughout the body, affecting the muscles, tendons and ligaments particularly.

Polymyalgia Rheumatica

Polymyalgia rheumatica is an inflammatory disorder affecting people over 50 years of age. The immune system causes stiffness and muscle pain across the hips and shoulders.

Secondary Arthritis

It is an arthritis type that develops after a joint injury, causing pain and stiffness on the affected joints many years afterwards.

Enteropathic Arthritis

This is another type of chronic arthritis associated with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Two of its types include Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis.

Reactive Arthritis

It develops after an infection in the throat, bowel, or gut, and results in pain and swelling of joints.

Common Symptoms of Arthritis

Different types of arthritis show various symptoms. However, every arthritis type prevalently affects the joints, causing stiffness and swelling of joints. Following are some common symptoms which indicate the occurrence of arthritis:

• Deformity in joints
• Decrease in ability to move
• Sharp and persistent pain in joints
• Swelling and inflammation
• Stiffness of joints
• Warmth sensation
• Redness around the affected area

Causes of Arthritis

While the causes of arthritis vary from different types, the primary reasons happen to be genetic or lifestyle-related. The following points highlight the risk factors associated with arthritis:

Genetic Factors: Rheumatoid arthritis is often caused by genetic factors, which emphasises that this disease is mostly passed on from parents to offspring.

Being Overweight: Excess weight or obesity is associated with unhealthy patterns in your lifestyle. Putting on some extra pounds imposes stress on joints across the knees and hips, leading to wear and tear and resulting in osteoarthritis.

Performing Labour Intensive Work: Jobs where one is required to move repetitively or lift heavy objects, can cause straining in joints, eventually causing osteoarthritis.

Age: Age is a common factor that triggers arthritis as with time, the joints get worn down. Studies show that 9.63% of Indians aged 45 or more are prone to developing arthritis. Hence, the risk of osteoarthritis occurrence increases with age.

Sex: Studies have shown that women are more likely to be affected with rheumatoid, osteoarthritis and fibromyalgia when compared to men. On the other hand, men are often diagnosed with gout more than the other gender.

Infections and Injuries: Infections such as gonorrhoea, Lyme diseases and staphylococcus infection result in the swelling, warmth and reddening of joints.

Extensive Movements: Repetitive motions such as bending or squatting can develop osteoarthritis in your joints.

Arthritis Complications

One of the primary complications that occurs if arthritis is left untreated is joint pain and stiffness. However, it also puts other organs at risk such as the heart, lungs and eyes. The complications of untreated arthritis include:

Organ Damage: Individuals with rheumatoid arthritis are more likely to experience problems related to heart, eyes and lungs. Common complications involve cardiovascular diseases, kidney problems, low muscle mass or skin-related issues. In addition to this, a lack of physical activity triggers further health complications such as obesity.

Risk of Disability: Severe rheumatoid or osteoarthritis results in immobility and chronic discomfort. This may eventually lead to disability, making one's everyday life extremely challenging.

Arthritis Diagnosis

Treating this condition gets easier with prompt diagnosis. Some of the commonly used diagnostic tests include:

Physical Tests: Here a doctor examines the joints for swelling, tenderness, loss of motion, redness or warmth.

Imaging Tests: X-rays are imaging tests used by healthcare providers to understand the arthritis type one is affected. This test helps diagnose osteoarthritis, identifying bone spurs, loss of cartilage and bones rubbing against each other.

Fluid Tests: A needle is used to draw a sample of joint fluid. Along with blood tests, the joint fluid test helps in diagnosis and determining the appropriate treatment.

Treatment Options for Arthritis

Prompt arthritis treatment provides relief from chronic pain, improves joint strength and mobility and prevents the disease. The following are some options that a healthcare provider may consider to manage the condition:

• Physical therapy
• Joint protection
• Hot or cold compress
• Use of appropriate drugs
• Regular exercise
• Surgery
• Intake of steroids
• Prednisone medications

The above-mentioned treatment opinions can help with pain and stiffness relief. However, osteoarthritis cannot be cured permanently. With proper medications, one notices a slower progression of damage caused by rheumatoid arthritis.

The following are some of the drug options that your doctor may choose to prevent complications associated with rheumatoid arthritis:

• Anakinra (Kineret)
• Methotrexate
• Sulfasalazine (Azulfidine)
• Azathioprine (Imuran)
• Etanercept (Enbrel)
• Adalimumab (Humira)
• Leflunomide (Arava)
• Tofacitinib (Xeljanz)

Arthritis Prevention

The following are some of the practices one can incorporate in their lifestyle to prevent the condition:

• Including cardio and strength-based training in daily workout routine
• Warming up the body before playing sports
• Including foods rich in omega-3 in the diet such as fish oil, cod liver oil or algae oil
• Maintaining a weight proportionate to the height
• Protecting joints by avoiding squats, knee bending or climbing
• Quitting tobacco consumption

Myths and Facts Related to Arthritis

The following are some myths and facts related to Arthritis:

Myth 1: Arthritis affects only the elderly
Fact: While it's true that arthritis is more common in older adults, it can affect people of all ages, including children. Working jobs or rigorous exercises can cause discomfort in your joints, leading to arthritis.

Myth 2: Exercise should be avoided if arthritis pain worsens
Fact: Moderate to light exercises help maintain strength and range of motion, preventing the complications of arthritis.

Myth 3: There is no cure for arthritis
Fact: While currently there is no permanent cure for many types of arthritis, treatments are available to manage symptoms and improve quality of life. These include medications, physical therapy and lifestyle changes.

Myth 4: Arthritis symptoms only affect joints
Fact: Some forms of arthritis such as rheumatoid arthritis affect the kidney, lungs and heart as well.