Inflammatory arthritis is one of the worst pains that you hope you’ll never ever experience in your life, like ever! But RA isn’t limited to just one disease but rather a number of different illnesses characterized by the inflammation of the joints and other tissues. Among them are psoriatic arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, juvenile idiopathic arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus and so much more. So you really can’t assume that the inflammation and pain in your joints are simply rheumatoid arthritis alone. Here are different forms of RA and RA related illnesses that can cripple you with pain.Along with pain, swelling and stiffness of the joints, psoriatic arthritis brings on the initial symptom of psoriasis. PA sufferers will notice no nodules unlike with RA and it will affect the joints asymmetrically.
They also become extremely sensitive to the touch. In fact, even something as light as a bed sheet brushing against the joint can cause the gout to trigger, resulting in excruciating pain from too much uric acid in the tissues and blood.
Over time, erosions form on the joint that damage it, causing things like fingers and toes to appear deformed. Eventually, the inflammation will begin to subside.
Sacroiliac joints, which are located between the spine and the pelvis, are the first to come under attack. The inflammation and damage to the joints where the tendon inserts into the bone is horrible and is more likely to occur in men than in women.
Some of the symptoms of this chronic autoimmune disease can include skin rash, swelling in the joints, pain, muscle aches and fatigue. In some cases, a patient can develop lupus and rheumatoid arthritis, which makes diagnosing these two conditions in a patient quite difficult for doctors.
Although this chronic pain condition produces symptoms similar to rheumatoid arthritis, it’s actually a disorder of the central nervous system that causes abnormal pain processing. Either way, it’s sheer torture when struck with this debilitating pain.
So how do you know you have it? Well, if you start to experience a stiff neck, itching, joint inflammation and flu-like symptoms, chances are, you’ve been bitten by this nasty and annoying little bug.
These RA imposters are categorized as autoimmune diseases that are difficult to diagnose in the early stages. There are also a number of other types of inflammatory arthritis that mimic the symptoms of RA. Unfortunately, the only way a rheumatologist can know for sure is by allowing the disease to progress enough until more symptoms pop up, allowing them to make a proper diagnosis.
You’ll feel a sudden warmth, swelling and debilitating pain in one or more joints, but usually in the knees. These flare ups can go away in just a few short weeks or it can take several months. This disease, which is also known as calcium pyrophosphate deposition disease leaves deposits of crystals in the joints, causing this painful condition to appear.
There are seven different types of JIA and some of them can be misdiagnosed as rheumatoid arthritis. The only thing is that RA is more likely to occur in children older than 16, while JIA is quite the opposite. The way doctors determine what type of JIA a child is suffering from depends on various factors like systemic involvement and how many joints are affected.
The painful episodes might go away in several hours or a couple of days. It can also travel from one joint to the other. But once the swelling and inflammation go away, the joints will return to normal without any permanent damage. Unfortunately, most people who suffer from palindromic rheumatism can develop rheumatoid arthritis as well.
But aside from the extreme muscle pain and swelling, particularly in the joints and fingers, symptoms may also include fatigue and a general feeling of being unwell. Ultimately, those afflicted with this disease may experience some deformities similar to those suffering from RA.
Ironically, the pain isn’t generally localized in these areas, but rather in places like the knees and joints in the feet. There is one exception, however, and that’s a painful inflammation in the urethra. The condition might also affect your eyes and the your skin as well. Unfortunately, it can take up to a year for the symptoms to disappear.
It’s actually a virus which is contracted through mosquitoes and starts off with a rash and high fevers. It also comes with severe joint pain as well. Fortunately, the symptoms will go away in 7 to 10 days, but the actual joint pain itself can last up to 15 months and even as much as three years.
But you will notice a non-itchy salmon-colored rash in parts of your body and you might experience a couple of fevers now and then. Although Still’s disease is an inflammatory form of arthritis, which can affect adults, it can also affect kids under 16 and is known as Systemic-onset juvenile idiopathic arthritis.
It often affects the shoulders and you’ll experience the symptoms quickly and early in the morning. But you can breathe a sigh of relief if you’re under 50 as symptoms rarely manifest until you’re much older, like 65.
Without the cartilage, the bones, particularly those in your knees and hips begin to grind against each other, causing damage and a lot of pain. Fortunately, there are plenty of treatments that can help make the pain more manageable and allow you to move easier.
Since vasculitis decreases blood flow to organs and tissues, organ malfunction, tissue damage, blood clots and pain can occur. Bleeding from blood vessels may also cause more bruising or blood spots under your skin as well. But the condition is manageable with the use of corticosteroids, which are a form of anti-inflammatory medicine.
An infection can cause inflammation of your joints, particularly your hips or your knees, but rarely does it affect multiple joints at the same time.
After all, the Human Immunodeficiency Virus targets a person’s natural defense system, and without a healthy immune system, the body can’t fight off diseases. Fortunately, advances in medical research have resulted in different types of medicine designed to slow down the progress of this crippling illness.
But there are several reasons why one can become afflicted by this condition such as an infection, crystal deposition, trauma, immunologic conditions, and neoplasm to name a few. You’ll know you’re suffering from an onset of monoarthritis because the symptoms are sudden joint pain and swelling and they’re intense. If treatment is not administered right away, sufferers from this condition might wind up with joint destruction.
Your skin may become thick or hardened, and may take on a smooth, shiny appearance as well. But your fingers or toes might turn red, white, or blue and get very cold. You might even experience ulcers or sores on your fingertips as well as swelling and pain. A blood count and chemistry panel will usually be conducted to determine your diagnosis.
But, 60 to 70 percent of people suffering from Sjogren’s syndrome do test positive for RA. Some of the symptoms may include mild swelling of the joints, pain and stiffness. But sense the symptoms are similar to RA, doctors have to conduct specialized testing to distinguish between the two conditions before providing the right treatment.
So in some cases, a biopsy may be required to determine if the patient has sarcoidosis or RA. Of course, some of the symptoms may include fever, swollen lymph nodes, weight loss and fatigue and can last for several years and appear out of nowhere before suddenly disappearing.
Ankylosing spondylitis with inflammation is considered spondyloarthropathy because it affects that vertebral column and mimics various types of joint diseases. Essentially, it’s a family of chronic diseases of the joints. These illnesses can affect kids and adults an include conditions like reactive arthritis, psoriatic arthritis, and enteropathic arthritis, which is a form inflammatory bowel disease.
