Arthritis

Arthritis (from the Greek joint and inflammation) is inflammation of the joints, which are painful, swollen, and warm to the touch. Affected joints lose mobility and may become deformed.

If it affects only one joint it is called monoarthritis, when there are 2 or 3 it is called oligoarthritis and if it affects 4 or more simultaneously, it is called polyarthritis.

Arthritis should not be confused with osteoarthritis, which is a degenerative, non-inflammatory disease. However, despite this, sometimes, especially in Anglo-Saxon literature, it is called osteoarthritis.

Classification

There are numerous diseases and syndromes that can cause arthritis, in which this is considered the main manifestation, such as:

1. Rheumatoid arthritis and its variants, such as idiopathic juvenile arthritis, caused by autoimmunity phenomena. Rheumatoid arthritis is one of the most common forms of arthritis. It can affect all joints, causing inflammation of the cartilages and the synovial membrane around the union of the bones. It is considered an autoimmune disease in which autoantibodies are produced against the organism itself. The main symptoms consist of swelling and pain, especially in the joints of hands and feet, deformation of affected regions and loss of mobility. The pharmacological treatment is based on the administration of anti-inflammatory drugs, corticosteroids and immunosuppressants, depending on the severity of the picture.
2. Microcrystal arthritis: affected by gout and pseudogota.
3. Infectious arthritis also called septic arthritis. It is caused by an infection of bacterial, viral, michotic or parasitic origin.
4. Arthritis secondary to other diseases, such as psoriatic arthritis, arthritis associated with inflammatory bowel disease, arthritis of systemic lupus erythematosus, Schönlein-Henoch purple, sarcoidosis and many others.
5. Reactive arthritis. This name receives the arthritis that appears after an intestinal, genital or urinary infection. For example, Reiter syndrome arthritis.
6. Neuropathic arthritis: produced by nervous system lesions. It is not really an arthritis and its proper denomination is neuropathic arthropathy or articulation of Charcot.
7. Osteoarthritis. The most appropriate name of this condition is osteoarthritis and is not a true arthritis, because it is caused by degenerative phenomena in the joint and not by inflammation of it.

Causes

There are more than 100 different diseases that can cause arthritis, such as autoimmune disorders, infectious diseases, or trauma. In these cases, the arthritis is considered secondary to the main disease. These include:

• Psoriasis (psoriatic arthritis).
• Reactive arthritis.
• Celiac disease and non-Celiac and undiagnosed gluten sensitivity: both frequently suffer without digestive symptoms and arthritis can be the only manifestation.
• Inflammatory bowel disease (including Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis).
• Hashimoto's thyroiditis.
• Systemic erythematous lupus.
• Sjögren Syndrome.
• The Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome.
• Hemochromatosis.
• Hepatitis.
• Lyme disease.
• The Purple of Schönlein-Henoch.
• Sarcoidosis.
• Whipple's disease.
• Wegener granulomatosis (and many other vasculitis syndromes).
• Brucellosis.

Clinical picture

Sometimes it has serious consequences, causing pain and loss of mobility in the affected joint. In some cases, especially in polyarthritis, it prevents a normal life and makes the mobility of the affected person very difficult.

Treatment

Treatment can be done with a variety of drugs, depending on the cause and type of arthritis.

When caused by unrecognized celiac disease or non-celiac gluten sensitivity, diagnosis and treatment with a gluten-free diet results in complete recovery or marked improvement in arthritis symptoms.

In some cases, when arthritis is caused by an infection, the disease can be cured by stopping the infection. The following infections can cause arthritis: Lyme disease, Staphylococcus infections, tuberculosis, and gonorrhea.

Currently, most types of arthritis cannot be cured, but effective treatments can be done to reduce pain and disability so that quality of life lost from arthritis can be restored.

When choosing the most appropriate medication or treatment for the arthritis we suffer from, the doctor will prescribe the medications that are best based on age, the progression of arthritis, other medication that is already being taken for other pathologies or allergies to certain medications.

Arthritis medications or treatments serve different purposes depending on the type of arthritis you have. These will mainly seek:

- Reduce inflammation.

- Relieve pain.

- Slow down the progression of arthritis.

- Reduce uric acid levels and prevent gout attacks, if they occur.

- Reduce the activity of the body's immune system when it damages the joints or organs in certain types of arthritis.

Some medications take days to work, others months. If no improvement is noted, the effectiveness of the treatment should be verified with the doctor.

Some medications and treatments taken by mouth or intravenously can cause side effects. If you notice any unusual or undesirable changes, notify your doctor.

Medications or topical treatments have less risk of side effects and can be a very effective solution when arthritis occurs in only a few joints, such as the knee, hand, ankle, elbow, shoulder, or lower back. back.

The most common topical medications and treatments for arthritis are creams, gels, sprays or fluids with a percentage of anti-inflammatory and painkillers in their formulation. These can be medications such as ibuprofen, diclofenac, naproxen, etofenamate, paracetamol... or natural medications such as MSM (methyl-sulfonyl-methane), Boswellia Serrata, Devil's Claw, Ginger, Rosemary supported with chondroprotectors such as Glucosamine HCL and Chondroitin from plants and animals.

The chondroprotectors will exert a regenerative action on the deteriorated joint while the anti-inflammatories reduce inflammation and pain, and can restore mobility to the joint.

In cases in which the drugs cannot be administered orally, intravenously or topically due to allergies to them, as commonly happens with NSAIDs, due to suffering from a disease in which they are contraindicated, such as a gastric or circulatory pathology, because they do not feel its effect or simply because they already take too many medicines and they want to opt for a more natural therapy, and in many cases more effective, than the medicine, the option of the anti-inflammatories and natural painkillers mentioned before, are the more widespread option in some formulas that can be found in pharmacies and herbalists.

In view of the above, it is important to note that a healthy lifestyle, a good diet, a correct weight, moderate physical exercise and good sleep are the best basis for preventing arthritis.