arthritis - Types of arthritis, Treatment, History

An inflammation of one or more joints resulting in swelling, pain, redness, local heat, and limitation of movement. A large number of different conditions may be responsible, such as degenerative processes (eg osteoarthritis), auto-immune disease (eg rheumatoid arthritis), metabolic disease (eg gout), or infection, and they may involve one or many joints.

Arthritis
Classifications and external resources

ICD-10	M00-M25
ICD-9	710-719

Arthritis (from Greek arthro-, joint + -itis, inflammation; Arthritis is the leading cause of disability over the age of 65.

There are many forms of arthritis, each of which has a different cause. Rheumatoid arthritis and psoriatic arthritis are autoimmune diseases in which the body is attacking itself. Septic arthritis is caused by joint infection. Gouty arthritis is caused by deposition of uric acid crystals in the joint that results in subsequent inflammation. The most common form of arthritis, osteoarthritis is also known as degenerative joint disease and occurs following trauma to the joint, following an infection of the joint or simply as a result of aging. Rheumatoid arthritis is generally worse in the morning and in the early stages, patients often do not have symptoms following their morning shower.

Elements of the history of the pain (onset, number of joints and which involved, duration, aggravating and relieving factors) all guide diagnosis.

Types of arthritis

Primary forms of arthritis:

Osteoarthritis Rheumatoid arthritis Septic arthritis Gout and pseudogout Juvenile arthritis Still's disease Ankylosing spondylitis

Secondary to other diseases:

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) Henoch-Schönlein purpura Psoriatic arthritis Reactive arthritis (Reiter's syndrome) Hemochromatosis Hepatitis Wegener's granulomatosis (and many other vasculitis syndromes) Familial Mediterranean fever (FMF), HIDS (hyperimmunoglobulinemia D and periodic fever syndrome) and TRAPS (TNF-alpha receptor associated periodic fever syndrome). Ulcerative colitis

Diseases that can mimic arthritis include:

Pierre Marie-Bamberger syndrome (hypertrophic pulmonary osteoarthropathy, a paraneoplastic phenomenon of lung cancer) multiple myeloma osteoporosis

Treatment

Treatment options vary depending on the type of arthritis and include physical and occupational therapy, medications (symptomatic or targeted at the disease process causing the arthritis), and as a last resort, arthroplasty.

History

While evidence of primary ankle osteoarthritis has been discovered in dinosaurs, the first known traces of human arthritis date back as far as 4500 BC. Evidence of arthritis has been found throughout history, from Ötzi, a mummy (circa 3000 BC) found along the border of modern Italy and Austria, to the Egyptian mummies circa 2590 BC. Around 500 BC willow bark gained popularity when it was discovered to help relieve some of the aches and pains of arthritis. It wasn't until more than 2,000 years later, in the early 1820s, that European scientists began to scientifically study the chemical compound in willow bark that alleviated the arthritis symptoms. Hoffman was attempting to make the drug in order to help his father, who was suffering from arthritis.