Inflammatory Arthritis

Inflammatory Arthritis

Inflammatory arthritis (IA) is joint inflammation caused by an overactive immune system, usually affecting many joints throughout the body at the same time. Forms of inflammatory arthritis are much less common than osteoarthritis (OA, which affects most people at the later stages of life). Also classified as autoimmune disorders, IA is a grouping of various types of arthritis that involve the immune system. In autoimmune disorders, the body sends impaired messages to cells with immune function, including white blood cells, instructing them to attack the body’s own tissues. The damaged tissues cause deformity, instability, and scarring within the joints.

Difference between osteoarthritis and inflammatory arthritis

The major distinction between OA and IA is that:

• Osteoarthritis is caused by physical use – ‘wear and tear’ of a joint over time (or, occasionally, over a short time as a result of an injury).

• Inflammatory arthritis is a chronic autoimmune disease in which your immune system misidentifies your own body tissues as harmful germs or pathogens and attacks them, resulting in inflammation of the affected tissues in and around joints.

Because OA involves physical wear on joints in the body, it usually appears in people after the age of 50. The older you get, the more likely you are to get osteoarthritis.

Since inflammatory arthritis is a chronic disease, it affects people of all ages, often striking people in their peak working and child-rearing age. IA diseases can often be diagnosed in patients as young as age 20–30, and less commonly, kids and teens may be diagnosed with a form of childhood arthritis, such as juvenile idiopathic arthritis. IA is more common in females than in males, and it is not yet understood why.

Symptoms of IA

The most common symptoms of inflammatory arthritis are:

• Joint pain and stiffness after periods of rest or inactivity, particularly in the morning

• Swelling, redness and/or a feeling of warmth in the affected joints

• Inflammation of other areas in the body, such as the skin or internal organs like the lungs and heart

• Symptoms not localized to the damaged joint: may also experience fever, weakness, and organ damage

People with inflammatory arthritis generally experience alternating periods of "flares" of highly intense symptoms with periods of inactivity.

Different types of IA

The major types of inflammatory arthritis include:

• Rheumatoidvarthritis (most common)

• Psoriatic arthritis

• Infectious arthritis (caused by bacterial or viral infection such as lyme disease)

• Gout and pseudogout

• Lupus

• Spondyloarthropathies (Ankylosing spondylitis)

Causes

Causes of inflammatory arthritis are generally unknown, though it is believed that genetic factors play a large role. There is also growing evidence that environmental factors such as viral infections can be a trigger for the condition.

When detected and treated in its early stages, the effects of inflammatory arthritis can be greatly diminished, or the condition may even disappear completely. The importance of proper diagnosis, particularly in the early stages of the disease, may prevent serious, lifelong arthritic complications.

Treatment for IA Conditions

Treatment is often conservative, including a combination of exercise programs to retain strength and mobility, and combination of medications that relieve swelling and pain along with others to regulate the immune system, such as steroids or immunosuppressive drugs.

To prevent loss of mobility and joint function, it is essential that patients strive to balance between periods of rest (which can help to prevent flare of symptoms) and activity (which helps prevent joints from becoming too stiff).

Much less commonly than with osteoarthritis, joint replacement surgery may need to be considered when these nonsurgical methods have failed to provide lasting benefit, though rarely do patients with IA require surgery for these conditions.

[Photo: Mayo Clinic (2021). Rheumatoid Arthritis. https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/rheumatoid-arthritis/symptoms-causes/syc-20353648]

References

Arthritis Health. (2011, January 11). Inflammatory arthritis. Veritas Health, LLC. https://www.arthritis-health.com/types/general/inflammatory-arthritis

Hospital for Special Surgery. (2022, February 9). Living with inflammatory arthritis: What you need to know. https://www.hss.edu/condition-list_inflammatory-arthritis.asp

Mayo Clinic. (2021, May 18). Rheumatoid arthritis. https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/rheumatoid-arthritis/symptoms-causes/syc-20353648