Arthritis

Osteoarthritis (called OA, degenerative arthritis or degenerative joint disease) is the most common type of arthritis and affects approximately 1 in 10 Canadians, or about 3 million people.

OA is caused by the breakdown of cartilage that normally acts to cushion the bones in your joints and develops gradually over time. With this wear-and-tear comes damage to the bones in the joint, and they begin to grow abnormally.

Symptoms include:

• A dull ache or pain inside the joint that worsens with exercise and is relieved by rest
• Joint stiffness that occurs when the joint hasn’t been moved for some time that usually goes away with 30 minutes of movement
• A grating noise when moving the joint (this is due to damaged cartilage rubbing together)
• Bumps or swelling on the affected joint, especially on the hands or feet
• Affected joints may become enlarged
• Pain or difficulty with movement-including everyday tasks like opening a jar
• Stiffness can lead to freezing of the joint when it is bent
• OA in your knees may cause your knees to become unstable
• OA in your neck or lower back may cause numbness, odd sensations and pain or weakness in one arm or leg

Who is affected:

You are more likely to develop OA as you age, but not all people become affected by it. OA can affect infants and young adults as well.There are some factors that may increase your risk for developing OA:

• African ancestry
• Family history
• Excess weight
• Joint damage or injury, or repetitive stress to one joint
• Other diseases that can damage the joints

There is a myth that wear-and-tear can cause you to develop OA, however normal ‘wear’ does not actually cause ‘tear’. Normal activity is good for joints and will not cause osteoarthritis.

If you have rheumatoid arthritis, then your body’s immune system is attacking your tissues. Although RA more commonly affects your joints, it can also appear in other parts of the body such as eyes, lungs or heart.

Symptoms include:

• RA begins suddenly or gradually
• Most common joints affected are the hands, feet, wrists, elbows and ankles — and both joints on either side of your body are affected at the same time
• Joints become painful, stiff, swollen and can ultimately become disfigured
• Fever, tiredness and weakness in some people
• At least one in ten people with RA become disabled

Who is affected:

Rheumatoid arthritis affects one in 100 people and usually appears between the ages of 25 and 50. It is also two to three times more common in women than in men.

FROM You, Your Child & Arthritis http://www.arthritis.ca/local/files/pdf%20documents/Types%20of%20Arthritis/You_Your%20Child_and_Arthritis.pdf

Chronic childhood arthritis, referred to as juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA), is defined as continuous inflammation of one or more joints that lasts for at least six weeks in children 16 years old and under for which no other cause can be found. While cause of the JIA is unknown, an overactive immune system inappropriately responding to a real or perceived infection is believed to cause the continuous inflammation.

There is some encouraging news: While there is no cure for JIA, most children who are monitored carefully and follow recommended treatment are able participate in normal activities into adulthood.

Symptoms include:

Since some children with JIA may not complain of pain, it’s important to keep an eye out for the signs.

• Stiffness when waking in the morning or after a nap
• Walking with a limp
• Difficulty using an arm or leg
• Joints that are warm, stiff, swollen and often painful
• Fever and rash in some children

Who is affected:

JIA affects 1 in 1,000 Canadian boys and girls under the age of 16. Gender does not play a role.

[FROM http://www.arthritis.ca/types%20of%20arthritis/psoriatic%20arthritis/default.asp?s=1&province=on]

Psoriatic arthritis causes joints and surrounding tissues (muscles, skin, tendons and ligaments) to swell and become painful. It can affect a number of joints including fingers, toes, wrists, knees, ankles, elbows and shoulder joints, as well as the spine and sacroiliac joints (found in the lower back). Psoriatic arthritis is linked to the skin disorder psoriasis, where the skin is inflamed and covered with silvery or grey scales.

Localized mild psoriatic arthritis affects less than five joints, has mild symptoms and develops slowly. Generalized disabling psoriatic arthritis, however, affects five or more joints at a time and can often lead to permanent joint damage. This type requires medication early and sometimes surgery and rehabilitation.

Symptoms include:

• Red, swollen fingers and toes that can have a sausage-like appearance but not all fingers or toes may be affected
• Pitting (small holes) in the nails or the nails become detached
• Tendonitis (swelling of the tendons) and enthesitis (pain and swelling where tendons and ligaments attached to bone) — for example, tennis elbow, heel spurs and tendonitis of the Achilles tendon
• Skin inflammation — particularly on the elbows, knees and scalp
• Back pain or stiffness (in some, not most people) that’s probably worse at night and in the morning that decreases gradually with activity during the day

Who is affected:

While its cause is unknown, up to 30% of people with psoriasis develop psoriatic arthritis. And, with psoriasis, hereditary plays a big role:

• Children of parents with psoriasis are three times more likely to develop it.
• If one identical twin has psoriasis, there is a 75% chance that the other one will have it too.

This chronic inflammatory disease affects the spine and large joints and causes stiffness and pain.

Symptoms include:

• Flare-ups of inflammation in between periods with almost no symptoms
• Back pain — often worse at night
• Back stiffness — in the morning but relieved by activity
• Loss of appetite, tiredness or eye inflammation in some people

Who is affected:

Ankylosing spondylitis tends to run in families and affects three times more men than women. Between 150,000 and 300,000 Canadians suffer from it.

When someone has systemic lupus erythematosus (lupus), their immune system attacks and causes inflammation in their joints, tendons, other tissues and organs. Different tissues and organs are affected in different people.

Symptoms include:

The severity of lupus and the symptoms it causes vary greatly:

• Joint aches and pain — from occasional mild aches to severe arthritic pain in several joints
• Fever
• Skin rash, hair loss
• Chest pain
• Kidney disease
• Swollen lymph nodes
• Headaches
• Personality changes, seizures and difficulty thinking clearly

Who is affected:

Young women in their late teens to 30s make up about 90% of people who have lupus. Children (mostly girls) and older men and women can also be affected. Approximately 15,000 Canadians have lupus.