Basic Health Care Series: Arthritis

Arthritis is very common but is not well understood. Actually, "arthritis" is not a single disease; it is an informal way of referring to joint pain or joint disease. There are more than 100 different types of arthritis and related conditions. People of all ages, sexes and races can and do have arthritis, and it is the leading cause of disability in America. More than 50 million adults and 300,000 children have some type of arthritis. It is most common among women and occurs more frequently as people get older. Inflammatory arthritis is a group of diseases which includes: rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthropathy, inflammatory bowel disease, adult-onset Still's disease, scleroderma, juvenile idiopathic arthritis and systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Symptoms of inflammatory arthritis include stiffness, pain, and swelling of the joints, restricted motions, and reduced physical strength. Other symptoms may include systemic complaints including fatigue. Treatments for inflammatory arthritis vary by subtype, though they may include drugs like DMARDs (disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs) and tumor necrosis factor inhibitors. This book is for all of us who wish to know about diabetes whether or not we are suffering from it.