The symptoms of arthritis affect your overall health and wellbeing. As soon as you begin experiencing symptoms like joint pain and stiffness, you are advised to seek help. The symptoms can be severe and prevent you from participating in activities of daily living because they are unbearable at times. Usually, proper diagnosis and treatment are essential because it helps determine the type and underlying cause of arthritis. Early treatment helps prevent complications like disability. Therefore, if you are interested in learning more about the types of arthritis, East Village arthritis specialists are here to educate you. They also offer effective treatment options and diagnostic tests to ensure the best care is given to you. Let’s learn more about the types of arthritis below.
What is arthritis?
Arthritis is a broad term used to refer to conditions affecting your knees, ankles, wrist, and shoulders. Usually, it causes persistent pain and reduces the mobility of the affected joint. The types of arthritis are grouped as either infectious, degenerative, metabolic, or inflammatory.
What are the common types of arthritis?
They are as follows:
- Osteoarthritis
It is a type of degenerative arthritis and is the most common type of arthritis. It is a condition due to the breakdown of joint cartilage, whose function is to reduce friction. Therefore, since your cartilage is damaged, the affected joints’ bones tend to rub against each other, causing pain and inflammation. It can affect one or two joints on one part of your body. Injuries, age, overuse of the joint, overweight, and family history increases your risk of developing osteoarthritis. Common symptoms of osteoarthritis include morning joint stiffness, soreness at the joint, increased disability, and lack of coordination.
- Rheumatoid arthritis
Rheumatoid arthritis is classified as an autoimmune disease because it is characterized by your body producing antibodies that destroy healthy joint tissues. Symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis include pain in the joint and joint stiffness in the morning. If left untreated or unmanaged may lead to joint deformity. Additional symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis are nodules near the affected joint and beneath the skin, difficulties when sleeping and burning, warm or tingling sensation at the feet or hands.
- Juvenile arthritis
Juvenile arthritis is very common among children. It is used to refer to refers to different types of arthritis affecting children, including juvenile rheumatoid arthritis, also called juvenile idiopathic arthritis. Other forms of juvenile arthritis include juvenile lupus, juvenile dermatomyositis, Kawasaki disease, and juvenile scleroderma.
- Lupus erythematosus
It is also an autoimmune disease that affects your connective tissues and joints. It can also damage other body parts, including the brain, skin, kidneys, lungs, or heart. Its symptoms include loss of hair, chest pain, fever, sores in the mouth, fatigue, and uneasiness.
- Gout
This type of arthritis is due to urate crystals in your joints. Symptoms include swelling, redness, and pain in your hands, knees, toes, ankles, wrists, or feet.
Other types of arthritis include psoriatic arthritis, reactive and infectious arthritis, and spondyloarthropathies. Therefore, if you are interested in learning more about this type of arthritis, you can begin by calling or consulting Matt Pabis, MD, or visit their website for more details.
