Musculoskeletal system >>>> Arthritis - what is it?

Arthritis - what is it?

Arthritis is a very common condition that affects the tissues of the joint. Differences in the nature of joint tissue damage in arthritis allow them to be divided into two large groups: degenerative and inflammatory. Degenerative arthritis includes traumatic damage to the articular surface of cartilage (traumatic arthritis, osteoarthritis).

Inflammatory arthritis includes gout, rheumatoid arthritis, infectious arthritis, and reactive arthritis. They are characterized by inflammation of the synovial membrane lining the surface of the joint.

The course of a disease such as arthritis can be acute, subacute and chronic. Inflammatory processes in arthritis are both serous and purulent, depending on the presence of infection. Arthritis is dangerous because it provokes proliferation (proliferation of affected tissues due to unlimited cell division), which creates additional traumatic factors in the anatomical structure of the joint and supports inflammation processes. As a result of chronic inflammation, the tissues of the joint are replaced by fibrous tissue that does not meet the characteristics required for the functionality of the joint. Arthritis is characterized by both limited damage affecting the tissues of one joint, and involvement of several joints in the inflammatory process.

The factors provoking the development of arthritis can be infections from other foci in the body, the development of tumors, systemic diseases (psoriasis), blood diseases, bone diseases, etc.

Signs of arthritis (may increase gradually):

joint pain (from minor to significant), not related to the load on the joints,
reddening of the skin occurs opposite the joint,
the joint area swells,
the function of the joint is impaired (at first, a subtle inconvenience in movement, but as the symptoms increase, the movement of the joint can be significantly limited).

Arthritis is diagnosed on the basis of the patient's millet, microscopic examination of the synovial fluid, radiography, cytological and microbiological examination of the joint tissues. For diagnosis, arthroscopy is performed.

Antimicrobial drugs are used to treat infectious arthritis. For the symptomatic treatment of arthritis, anti-inflammatory steroid and non-steroidal drugs are used. Physiotherapy and physiotherapy exercises help well in the treatment of arthritis. They prevent the development of contracture and complete loss of joint motor activity. For arthritis caused by autoimmune processes, immunosuppressants are used. To prevent proliferative processes, cytostatics are used.