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Arthritis Advice
Half of all people age 65 and older have arthritis. There are
over 100 different forms of arthritis and many different symptoms
and treatments. We do not know what causes most forms of arthritis.
Some forms are better understood than others.
Arthritis
causes pain and loss of movement. It can affect joints in any part
of the body. Arthritis is usually chronic, meaning it can occur over
a long period of time. The more serious forms can cause swelling,
warmth, redness, and pain. The three most common kinds of arthritis
in older people are osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, and
gout.
Common Forms of Arthritis
Osteoarthritis (OA), at one time called
degenerative joint disease, is the most common type of arthritis
in older people. Symptoms can range from stiffness and mild pain
that comes and goes to severe joint pain and even
disability.
OA usually affects the hands and the large
weight-bearing joints of the body: the knees and hips. Early in
the disease, pain occurs after activity and rest brings relief;
later on, pain occurs with very little movement, even during rest.
Scientists think that several factors may cause OA in different
joints. OA in the hands or hips may run in families. OA in the
knees is linked with being overweight. Injuries or overuse may
cause OA in joints such as knees, hips, or
hands.
Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) can be
one of the more disabling forms of arthritis. Signs of RA often
include morning stiffness, swelling in three or more joints,
swelling of the same joints on both sides of the body (both hands,
for example), and bumps (or nodules) under the skin most commonly
found near the elbow. RA can occur at any age and affects women
about three times more often than men.
Scientists don’t
know what causes RA but think it has something to do with a
breakdown in the immune system, the body’s defense against
disease. It is also likely that people who get RA have certain
inherited traits (genes) that cause a disturbance in the immune
system.
Gout occurs most often in older
men. It affects the toes, ankles, elbows, wrists, and hands. An
acute attack of gout is very painful. Swelling may cause the skin
to pull tightly around the joint and make the area red or purple
and very tender. Medicines can stop gout attacks, as well as
prevent further attacks and damage to the joints.
Treatments
Treatments for arthritis work to reduce pain and swelling, keep
joints moving safely, and avoid further damage to joints. Treatments
include medicines, special exercise, use of heat or cold, weight
control, and surgery.
Medicines help relieve
pain and reduce swelling. Acetaminophen or ACT should be the first
drug used to control pain in patients with osteoarthritis (OA).
Patients with OA who don’t respond to ACT and patients with RA and
gout are most commonly treated with nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory
drugs such as ibuprofen. People taking medicine for any form of
arthritis should limit the amount of alcohol they drink. (For more
information, see the Age Page "Arthritis
Medicines.")
Exercise, such as a daily walk
or swim, helps keep joints moving, reduces pain, and strengthens
muscles around the joints. Rest is also important for the joints
affected by arthritis. Physical therapists can develop personal
programs that balance exercise and rest.
Many people find
that soaking in a warm bath, swimming in a heated pool, or applying
heat or cold to the area around
the joint helps reduce pain. Controlling or losing
weight can reduce the stress on joints and can help avoid
further damage.
When damage to the joints becomes disabling
or when other treatments fail to reduce pain, your doctor may
suggest surgery. Surgeons can repair or replace
damaged joints with artificial ones. The most common operations are
hip and knee replacements.
Unproven Remedies
Arthritis symptoms may go away by themselves but then come back
weeks, months, or years later. This may be why many people with
arthritis try quack cures or remedies that have not been proven
instead of getting medical help. Some of these remedies, such as
snake venom, are harmful. Others, such as copper bracelets, are
harmless but also useless. The safety of many quack cures is
unknown.
Here are some tipoffs that a remedy may be unproven:
claims that a treatment like a lotion or cream works for all types
of arthritis and other diseases too; scientific support comes from
only one research study; or the label has no directions for use or
warnings about side effects.
Common Warning Signs of Arthritis
- Swelling in one or more joint(s)
- Morning stiffness lasting 30 minutes or longer
- Joint pain or tenderness that is constant or that comes and
goes
- Not being able to move a joint in the normal way
- Redness or warmth in a joint
- Weight loss, fever, or weakness and joint pain that can’t be
explained
If any one of these symptoms lasts longer than 2 weeks, see your
regular doctor or a doctor who specializes in arthritis (a
rheumatologist). The doctor will ask questions about the history of
your symptoms and do a physical exam. The doctor may take x-rays or
do lab tests before developing a treatment plan.
Common Warning Signs of Arthritis
For more information on arthritis contact:
National
Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin
Diseases
Building 31, Room 4C05
Bethesda, MD 20892
(301)
496-8188
The Arthritis Foundation
P.O. Box
19000
Atlanta, GA 30325
(800) 283-7800
For a list of
free publications from the National Institute on Aging (NIA),
contact the NIA Information Center, P.O. Box 8057, Gaithersburg, MD
20898-8057; 1-800-222-2225;
(1-800-222-4225 TTY); e-mail:niainfo@access.digex.net
National Institute on Aging
U. S. Department
of Health and Human Services
Public Health Service
National
Institutes of Health
1996
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