Conditions
Types Of
Conditions
"Arthritis" means joint inflammation. Although joint inflammation is a symptom or sign rather than a specific diagnosis, the term arthritis is often used to refer to any disorder that affects the joints. There are many types of arthritis, including ankylosing spondylitis, gout, juvenile arthritis, osteoarthritis, psoriatic arthritis, reactive arthritis, and rheumatoid arthritis. Medications and surgery can treat arthritis. Activities that can help reduce symptoms at home include exercise; hot and cold therapies; relaxation therapies; splints and braces; and assistive devices.
There are different types of arthritis. In some diseases in which arthritis occurs, other organs, such as your eyes, heart, or skin, can also be affected. Fortunately, current treatments allow most people with arthritis to lead active and productive lives.
This type of arthritis occurs in the base of the thumb that allows swivelling and pivoting. It tends to wear out from everyday use, causing pain, stiffness and arthritic symptoms. It can affect both hands and is common amongst women over forty and men who have worked with their hands for many years. Degenerative basal joint arthritis can develop as a result of normal use and the natural ageing process.
This autoimmune disease results in damage to blood vessels throughout the the body. The disease causes blood vessels to become inflamed. Behcet's disease affects each person differently. Symptoms include mouth sores, genital sores, inflammation inside of the eye and skin problems. Other symptoms may include blood clots, arthritis, and inflammation in the central nervous system and digestive system. Treatment typically focuses on reducing discomfort and preventing serious complications.
A soft-tissue form of arthritis that causes inflammation of the rib cage near the breastbone, which is a common cause of chest wall pain. The key symptom is pain along the edges of the breastbone and not in the centre portion of the chest under the breastbone. Many patients and doctors can occasionally be thrown off a correct diagnosis as the pain can radiate into the arms, shoulders or the entire chest area.
A degenerative form of arthritis which causes calcification along the sides of the vertebrae. Once known as Forestier Disease. Causing widespread calcification and ossification of the anterolateral ligaments of the spine, it can lead to ankylosis. However strict criteria distinguishes it from degenerative disc and joint disease and ankylosing spondylitis. It can also cause inflammation and growth where tendons and ligaments attach to bone e.g. the elbow, knee and heel of the foot
Fibromyalgia is the second most common condition affecting your bones and muscles. Yet it's often misdiagnosed and misunderstood. Its classic symptoms are widespread muscle and joint pain and fatigue.
There's no cure. But a combination of medication, exercise, managing your stress, and healthy habits may ease your symptoms enough that you can live a normal, active life.
This is a type of vasculitis which occurs due to necrosis (death) of one or more arteries. GCA can exist independently or coexist with or follow Polymyalgia Rheumatica. Also known as temporal Arteritis and Cranial Arteritis. GCA occurs mostly in the head especially in the temporal arteries that branch from the carotid artery of the neck. However it can be systemic, affecting multiple medium - to - large - sized arteries anywhere in the body. Symptoms include persistent headaches, accompanied by flu-like symptoms or weight loss.
A type of arthritis caused by an infection from a fungus. Fungal arthritis is the rarest type of arthritis and is caused by any invasive fungi. These fungi may affect bone or joint tissue. Fungal infections are caused by microscopic organisms. They live on the dead tissues of the hair, nails and outer skin layers.
An infectious (septic) form of arthritis which occurs in those who are affected with gonorrhea. Two forms are found, one with skin rashes and multiple joint involvement and a second form in which disseminated gonococcemia leads to infection of one joint. Gonococcal arthritis is the most common acute septic form of arthritis found in young adults.
Pain and inflammation occur when too much uric acid crystallises and deposits in the joints.
Symptoms of gout include severe pain, redness and swelling in joints, often the big toe. Attacks can come suddenly, often at night.
During an acute attack, anti-inflammatory medications can help relieve pain and shorten the length of the attack. Patients with chronic gout can use behavioural modification such as diet, exercise and decreased intake of alcohol to help minimise the frequency of attacks. Additionally, patients with chronic gout are often put on medications such as colchicine.
Polyarthralgia and a non-deforming arthritis, most frequently affecting knees and ankles, are common manifestations of this disorder. Other features include non- thrombocytopenic purpura, abdominal pain, and glomerulonephritis. The syndrome is rare in adults.
A disease that affects the femoral epiphysis or the top of the long leg bone inside the socket. It’s caused by an interruption of the blood supply so the bone tissue dies and collapses. The bone breaks across the top, blood supply comes back and the bone regrows. However there are long term problems. Symptoms include stiffness, and pain in the thigh and knee. The thigh muscles on the affected side are smaller than the healthy side. This disease is also found among children. The older the child, the more serious the disease becomes. Treatment includes bed rest, stretching exercises, and regular check-ups. Some children might need a cast or brace. In severe cases surgery is needed to fix the deformity.
MCTD is caused by an overlap of clinical conditions such as lupus, scleroderma and polymyositis, dermatomyositis and rheumatoid arthritis and is common among patients with a combination of any of these diseases. Connective tissues are structural portions of the body that hold cells together. Some people might have lupus with secondary rheumatoid arthritis as well as scleroderma or vice versa.
An illness caused by ticks. Ticks are known as vectors for the spirochete Borrelia burgdoferi which causes the disease. Characteristics include skin rash, joint inflammation and flu-like symptoms. Spirochete Borrelia burgdoferi is transmitted through the bite of a deer tick. If not treated then the disease can progress to a second and third stage. Joint problems usually occur in the last stage.
This rare disorder usually begins in the middle decades of life and affects females three times more frequently than males. It is characterized by the development of multiple histiocytic nodules in the skin and severe polyarthritis that may simulate rheumatoid arthritis. The firm reddish-brown or yellow papular nodules are most commonly found on hands, forearms, head, neck, and chest. Mutilating joint destruction, especially in the interphalangeal joints, occurs in approximately one half of patients with this syndrome. Diagnosis is made by demonstration of histiocytes and multinucleated giant cells containing PAS-positive material in skin or synovium. Similar infiltrates have been observed in other organs. Reports of apparent benefit from adrenocorticosteroid or immunosuppressive therapy is difficult to interpret because of the tendency for spontaneous remission in this disorder.
A degenerative form of arthritis found mainly in older patients from general wear and tear, and resulting either from overused or previously damaged joints or from hereditary factors. It is the most common form of arthritis. The majority of knee and hip replacements are performed in order to restore mobility and reduce the pain and inflammation of osteoarthritis.
Thinning of the bones seen mostly in postmenopausal women and older men, causing weak and easily broken bones, especially of the spine, hip and wrist. Adequate calcium intake throughout life will help prevent this 'silent disease'
so-called because there are no symptoms until the bone breaks.
A type of metabolic bone disease that is caused by normal bone formation that gets altered, thus changing the strength and shape of bones which results in bone destruction and bone deformity. Although not rare, this disease is most common in the United Kingdom. About 5 out of every 100 people over 50 years of age in the UK have Paget’s disease.
A rare inflammatory type of arthritis often mistaken for rheumatoid arthritis. Symptoms include multiple and recurrent attacks affecting one to a few joints, with tissue inflammation around and adjacent to them.
A specific condition seen mostly in patients of Caucasian descent older than 50, causing severe pain and stiffness of the hip and/or shoulder girdle and characterized by high blood sedimentation rates in samples. It responds dramatically to small doses of prednisone and leaves no damaged joints or tissue.
This sleep disorder is characterized by sensations in the lower legs which lead to discomfort unless the legs are moved. Several rheumatic conditions are associated with restless legs syndrome including osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis and fibromyalgia. Symptoms include tickling, itching and feeling as though there are bugs crawling on your legs.
This systemic inflammatory disease can involve the nervous system, the heart, the skin and the joints. Rheumatic fever develops after streptococcal infections. Symptoms may include polyarthritis, skin rashes and nodules. This disease can occur at any age. It frequently occurs in children between the age of 6 - 15 years of age.
A systemic form of inflammatory arthritis affecting one’s general health as well as a variety of one’s joints. There are very specific criteria for its diagnosis. Modifying treatment is becoming more and more effective. If left untreated the disease could affect any anatomical part of the body. Rheumatoid arthritis is the most common of the auto-immune arthritis diseases, found in about 1 in 100 people worldwide.
Axial Spondyloarthritis (axSpA) is a chronic inflammatory disease that includes radiographic (Ankylosing Spondylitis or AS) and non-radiographic forms (nr-axSpA). It is a chronic inflammatory disease of the spine and sacroiliac joints called Morbus Bechterew in some European countries. It can cause chronic pain, structural damage and paralysis.
AxSpA affects both men and women equally.
Affects both men and women equally. It used to be thought that three times as many men as women had the disease. This was based on a diagnosis of the disease using x-ray. Men are more likely than women to experience changes to the bones and fusion.
Typical symptoms of axial SpA (AS) include:
- Slow or gradual onset of back pain and stiffness over weeks or months, rather than hours or days
- Early-morning stiffness and pain, wearing off or reducing during the day with exercise
- Persistence for more than 3 months
- Feeling better after exercise and worse after rest
- Weight loss, especially in the early stages
- Fatigue or tiredness
- Feeling feverish and experiencing night sweats
A collagen-vascular disease causing tight skin as well as organ damage in some cases. It is vital to seek advice early on.
Scleroderma is a family of diseases usually characterised by hardening of the skin.
In medical definitions, different words are used to describe this family of diseases and they all have slightly different meanings:
Scleroderma: used to describe the sclerosis (hardening) of the skin (derma), specifically. However, scleroderma is the term that is often used to refer to all types of sclerosis; both the skin changes and the changes in other tissues and organs in the body (systemic sclerosis)
Systemic: used when a disease affects a number of different tissues and organs in the body
Sclerosis: used to describe the hardening of tissues in the body
To use the words correctly, it can help to understand how they relate to each other.
‘Scleroderma’ is roughly divided into two forms, ‘localised scleroderma’ (also called morphoea) and ‘systemic sclerosis’. Systemic sclerosis is then divided into four subtypes: limited cutaneous, diffuse cutaneous, sine scleroderma and overlap syndrome.
The subtypes of systemic sclerosis help doctors get a better picture of the symptoms and problems you may experience, and to develop a treatment plan you might benefit from.
The terms scleroderma and systemic sclerosis are often both used to mean the type of scleroderma that affects several organs in the body, but the correct term is systemic sclerosis.
Scleroderma (also known as systemic sclerosis) is part of a family of diseases that affect connective tissue. Connective tissue is in almost every part of your body. It is what helps to hold your body together. It supports, connects and separates different parts of your body. Because scleroderma affects the connective tissue, symptoms can occur in any area of the body including the skin, muscles, blood vessels and internal organs.
An autoimmune disease primarily affecting the skin and vascular system, as well as the joints and many of the other internal organs. Most but not all patients with lupus develop a butterfly-shaped rash on the face. It affects predominantly young women aged between 15-40 with a strong familial tendency among first-degree relatives. In the US, Black and Hispanic people are the main sufferers and in South Africa, people of mixed lineage are more affected than either blacks or whites.
A type of arthritis caused by tuberculosis. Common joints involved are the spine, hips, knees, wrists and ankles. Tuberculous arthritis is a type of infectious arthritis. The hunchback of Notre Dame had a gibbous deformity thought to have been caused by tuberculosis. This type of arthritis is also known as Granulomatous Arthritis.
"Arthritis" means joint inflammation. Although joint inflammation is a symptom or sign rather than a specific diagnosis, the term arthritis is often used to refer to any disorder that affects the joints. There are many types of arthritis, including ankylosing spondylitis, gout, juvenile arthritis, osteoarthritis, psoriatic arthritis, reactive arthritis, and rheumatoid arthritis. Medications and surgery can treat arthritis. Activities that can help reduce symptoms at home include exercise; hot and cold therapies; relaxation therapies; splints and braces; and assistive devices.
There are different types of arthritis. In some diseases in which arthritis occurs, other organs, such as your eyes, heart, or skin, can also be affected. Fortunately, current treatments allow most people with arthritis to lead active and productive lives.
Axial Spondyloarthritis (axSpA) is a chronic inflammatory disease that includes radiographic (Ankylosing Spondylitis or AS) and non-radiographic forms (nr-axSpA). It is a chronic inflammatory disease of the spine and sacroiliac joints called Morbus Bechterew in some European countries. It can cause chronic pain, structural damage and paralysis.
AxSpA affects both men and women equally.
Affects both men and women equally. It used to be thought that three times as many men as women had the disease. This was based on a diagnosis of the disease using x-ray. Men are more likely than women to experience changes to the bones and fusion.
Typical symptoms of axial SpA (AS) include:
- Slow or gradual onset of back pain and stiffness over weeks or months, rather than hours or days
- Early-morning stiffness and pain, wearing off or reducing during the day with exercise
- Persistence for more than 3 months
- Feeling better after exercise and worse after rest
- Weight loss, especially in the early stages
- Fatigue or tiredness
- Feeling feverish and experiencing night sweats
Fibromyalgia is the second most common condition affecting your bones and muscles. Yet it's often misdiagnosed and misunderstood. Its classic symptoms are widespread muscle and joint pain and fatigue.
There's no cure. But a combination of medication, exercise, managing your stress, and healthy habits may ease your symptoms enough that you can live a normal, active life.
Thinning of the bones seen mostly in postmenopausal women and older men, causing weak and easily broken bones, especially of the spine, hip and wrist. Adequate calcium intake throughout life will help prevent this 'silent disease' so-called because there are no symptoms until the bone breaks.
An autoimmune disease primarily affecting the skin and vascular system, as well as the joints and many of the other internal organs. Most but not all patients with lupus develop a butterfly-shaped rash on the face. It affects predominantly young women aged between 15-40 with a strong familial tendency among first-degree relatives. In the US, Black and Hispanic people are the main sufferers and in South Africa, people of mixed lineage are more affected than either blacks or whites.
Pain and inflammation occur when too much uric acid crystallises and deposits in the joints.
Symptoms of gout include severe pain, redness and swelling in joints, often the big toe. Attacks can come suddenly, often at night.
During an acute attack, anti-inflammatory medications can help relieve pain and shorten the length of the attack. Patients with chronic gout can use behavioural modification such as diet, exercise and decreased intake of alcohol to help minimise the frequency of attacks. Additionally, patients with chronic gout are often put on medications such as colchicine.
A systemic form of inflammatory arthritis affecting one’s general health as well as a variety of one’s joints. There are very specific criteria for its diagnosis. Modifying treatment is becoming more and more effective. If left untreated the disease could affect any anatomical part of the body. Rheumatoid arthritis is the most common of the auto-immune arthritis diseases, found in about 1 in 100 people worldwide.
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The Arthritis Foundation is a patient-centred, non-profit organisation that is dedicated to education, assistance, and informing the public on the impact and consequences of RMDs.
The Arthritis Foundation of SA is a registered non-profit organisation, No 002-847 NPO
