What is Arthritis?
Arthritis is one of the growing and common diseases in India. Arthritis affects more than 180 million people in India – prevalence higher than any known disease such as Diabetes, Cancer and many more. Around 14% of the Indian population seeks treatment every year for joint disease. It is expected that in the next decade or so, arthritis, especially knee arthritis is expected to emerge as the fourth most common cause of physical disability in India.
Arthritis is defined as inflammation of joints, this term is used to describe about 200 conditions that affect the joints, tissues that surround the joints and other connecting tissues. Few symptoms of arthritis are pain and stiffness in the joints which typically worsen with age. The most common types of arthritis are Osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis. Osteoarthritis is rising with age and the population of the world. It is said that joint disorder will impact about 130 million individuals above the age of 60. According to a study Women are more prone to Rheumatoid arthritis than men. Different types of arthritis are Osteoarthritis, Rheumatoid Arthritis, Ankylosing Spondylitis, Cervical Spondylosis, Fibromyalgia, Psoriatic, Gout, and many more.
What is Rheumatoid Arthritis?
Rheumatoid Arthritis is also called rheumatoid disease is an autoimmune disease that causes inflammation in the joints. This disorder attacks the immune system in its own body tissue. In rheumatoid disorder, the lining of the joints is attacked, which causes swelling, redness and warmth. This disorder generally affects the hands and feet but also affects the other parts of the body. This disorder can affect other organs of the body such as heart, lungs, and skin. This condition can be seen in children from the age of 14 or even young. This condition is called Juvenile rheumatoid arthritis. Initially the pain or discomfort starts in the smaller joints such as fingers, toes, knees and as the condition progresses the condition extends to the wrist , ankles, knee, shoulders, hips, elbow and many more parts of the body. When left unattended the joints may deform or even shift places.
Symptoms of Rheumatoid Arthritis:
Pains are common in everyone’s life at any age and can happen due to many reasons. Pain is one of the most common symptoms in Rheumatoid arthritis. The symptoms include:
- Swollen and Tender Joints
- Stiffness in the joints especially in the Early Morning
- Fatigue
- Weight Loss
- Change in Moods and Depression
- Joints look red and discolored
- Dry mouth and eyes
- Joints feel warm to touch
- Tingling and Numbness in feet and hands
- Pain in the Big Toe
Rheumatoid Arthritis can affect anyone irrespective of age and gender. This condition is more common in middle age or old age and this condition deteriorates with age. Men also can get affected with this condition, but the prevalence is higher among women due to hormonal changes or imbalances. RA is very much different from osteoarthritis, the inflammation is an autoimmune reaction and isn’t related to the wear and tear of the joints. Three times as many women as men get affected with Rheumatoid Arthritis, also women tend to get it at a much younger age.
Causes of RA in Women
As said before, women are much more prone to this condition than men due to hormonal changes such as menstruation, pregnancy, and menopause. Due to this there are many chances of women getting affected than men.
Change in hormone levels affect the protein levels in the blood that can increase the risk of inflammation. Genetic and environmental factors play a role in this. Hormones such as estrogen, progesterone and androgen play a vital role in the development of Rheumatoid Arthritis.
Women tend to develop this disorder at a younger age than men, with symptoms typically appearing in between 30-50.
Women have a higher risk of developing RA in the first year after giving birth. This may be due to the rapid change in hormone levels in the body at this time.
Diagnosis:
Physical Exam by an Orthopaedic doctor will check your affected joints for Tenderness, Swelling, Redness, and Flexibility. To get an exact picture of your knee joint, Doctors advice for X-Ray. If the X-Ray isn’t clear you will be suggested for an MRI. Lab tests include Blood tests and Joint Fluid analysis. As such Rheumatoid Arthritis can’t be reversed, but treatment is advised to reduce the pain and help you perform your day-to-day activities better.
We at Sai Sanjeevini Super Speciality Hospital, Hyderabad offer all Health Care Services. We are the best Orthopedic Hospital in Hyderabad and endeavor to be the best Orthopedic Doctors in Hyderabad. At Sai Sanjeevini Hospital we always provide quality health care services that combine with effectiveness, advanced treatment procedures and state of treatment technologies.