Rheumatoid arthritis & Osteoarthritis

What is juvenile arthritis?

Juvenile arthritis is observed in children of age below 16 years who develop swelling (inflammation) of joints and their surrounding tissues including the synovium. This is an autoimmune disease without any known exact cause. It is related to genetics, environmental factors, and infections.

Children with juvenile arthritis may or may not have symptoms. Some of the commonly noticed symptoms include joint stiffness, pain, swelling, limping, persistent fever, rash, irritability, tiredness and vision problems.

What is rheumatoid arthritis?

Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic autoimmune disease that results from overactive immune response to the body’s own tissues, in this case, joints. Rheumatoid arthritis can affect the tissues in other organ systems also, such as the heart, lungs, skin and blood vessels.

While Osteoarthritis is associated with wear-and-tear, rheumatoid arthritis causes swelling and bone erosion and joint deformity. Furthermore, the resultant inflammation causes damage to the nearby tissues.

As against osteoarthritis which is usually seen in elderly, rheumatoid arthritis may be seen in children of age 16 or younger. This condition is called as Juvenile rheumatoid arthritis.

The pain and discomfort may begin at the smaller joints in fingers and toes, and as the disease progresses the symptoms extend to the wrists, ankles, knees, elbows, hips and shoulders. Eventually, when left untreated, the joints may deform and shift out of place.

What are the symptoms of osteoarthritis?

Some common symptoms of osteoarthritis are:

• Pain, tenderness and stiffness
• Audible crunching/grating sensation caused by rubbing together of bones
• Bone spurs (extra bone growth)
• Immobility of the joint
• Pain that worsens following exercise
• Reduced flexibility in the joint

What are the risk factors for arthritis?

The risk factors for arthritis are –

Age – The risk for degenerative arthritis (osteoarthritis), increases with age.

Genetics and family history – Most types of arthritis are inherited, a strong family history increases the risk.

Gender – Women are more prone to many forms of arthritis, however, gouty arthritis is more common in men.

Body weight – Above normal body weight increases the chances of wear-and-tear of the joints.

Smoking – Smoking increases the risk for and severity of rheumatoid arthritis, particularly when the patient is predisposed genetically.

Occupational factors – Jobs involving repetitive movements increase the risk of osteoarthritis.

Bone deformities – Malformed joints and defective cartilage increase the risk of osteoarthritis.

How is arthritis diagnosed?

Arthritis may be diagnosed with the following tests –

• Detailed medical history
• Medical examination
• Blood tests: C-reactive proteins (an indicator of inflammation)
• Imaging tests: X-ray, Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and ultrasound
• Joint aspiration test

How is osteoarthritis treated?

Management of osteoarthritis is aimed at relieving symptoms and assuring the routine functioning of the joints. 

The modes of treatment are:

• Medications:
  • Pain management with medications like painkillers or topical creams.
• Physiotherapy:
  • Appropriate exercises or physical therapy, as advised by an orthopedist.
• Surgery:
  • Joint splinting
  • Knee or hip replacement
  • Bones realignment
  • Lubrication injections (Hyaluronic acid)
  • Cortisone injections

How to manage arthritis at home?

• Exercise regularly
• Hot and cold packs
• Normalize body weight
• Use braces or shoe inserts
• Knee taping to ease pain from knee osteoarthritis.
• Use assisting devices such as a cane (while walking), gripping or grabbing tools (for arthritis in fingers).

To know more about arthritis and osteoporosis, you can request a callback and our Rheumatoid arthritis & Osteoarthritis specialists will call you and answer all your queries.

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