arthritis, painful inflammation of a joint or joints of the body, usually producing heat and redness. There are many kinds of arthritis. In its various forms, arthritis disables more people than any other chronic disorder. The condition can be brought about by nerve impairment, increased or decreased function of the endocrine glands, or degeneration due to age. Less frequently, it is caused by infection (tuberculosis tuberculosis (TB), contagious, wasting disease caused by any of several mycobacteria. The most common form of the disease is tuberculosis of the lungs (pulmonary consumption, or phthisis), but the intestines, bones and joints, the skin, and the genitourinary,
..... Click the link for more information. , gonorrhea gonorrhea (gŏnərē`ə), common infectious disease caused by a bacterium (Neisseria gonorrhoeae
..... Click the link for more information. , Lyme disease Lyme disease, a nonfatal bacterial infection that causes symptoms ranging from fever and headache to a painful swelling of the joints. The first American case of Lyme's characteristic rash was documented in 1970 and the disease was first identified in a cluster at
..... Click the link for more information. , rheumatic fever rheumatic fever (r
..... Click the link for more information. ).

Rheumatoid arthritis, an autoimmune disease autoimmune disease, any of a number of abnormal conditions caused when the body produces antibodies to its own substances. In rheumatoid arthritis , a group of antibody molecules called collectively RF, or rheumatoid factor, is complexed to the individual's own gamma
..... Click the link for more information. of unknown cause, is the most crippling form. Women are much more susceptible to it than men. Although rheumatoid arthritis usually appears between the ages of 25 and 50, it also occurs in children. Osteoarthritis, the most common type, occurs usually in people over 50. It tends to be more severe when the joints have been strained by obesity or overwork. Gout gout, condition that manifests itself as recurrent attacks of acute arthritis, which may become chronic and deforming. It results from deposits of uric acid crystals in connective tissue or joints.
..... Click the link for more information. , the third most common form of arthritis, affects men almost exclusively.

Symptomatic treatment for arthritis includes use of heat, physical therapy, and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug, a drug that suppresses inflammation in a manner similar to steroids, but without the side effects of steroids; commonly referred to by the acronym NSAID
..... Click the link for more information. such as a cox-2 inhibitor (Celebrex), aspirin aspirin, acetyl derivative of salicylic acid (see salicylate ) that is used to lower fever, relieve pain, reduce inflammation, and thin the blood. Common conditions treated with aspirin include headache, muscle and joint pain, and the inflammation caused by rheumatic
..... Click the link for more information. , ibuprofen ibuprofen (ī`by
..... Click the link for more information. , and naproxen naproxen and naproxen sodium, potent nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAID) used to alleviate the minor pain of arthritis, menstruation, headaches, and the like, and to reduce fever.
..... Click the link for more information. . Remission of symptoms can sometimes be achieved with methotrexate, gold salts, penicillamine, and short-term cortisone cortisone (kôr`tĭsōn'), steroid hormone whose main physiological effect is on carbohydrate metabolism.
..... Click the link for more information. , but they often have undesirable side effects. Orthopedic surgery, including artificial joint implantation, may be done in severe cases.

arthritis

Inflammation of the joints and its effects. Acute arthritis is marked by pain, redness, and swelling. The principal forms are osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, and septic arthritis. Several forms of arthritis are part of the symptom complexes of autoimmune diseases.

arthritis (redirected from arthritics)

arthritis

arthritis
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