Arthritis — It's Not Just One Disease

Monday, December 08, 2003

ROCHESTER, Minn. — Although people often talk about arthritis as if it's one disease, it's not. Arthritis refers to diseases of the joints. It occurs in more than 100 forms.

The December issue of Mayo Clinic Health Letter highlights some signs and symptoms. Some forms occur gradually over time, others appear suddenly. Some lead to chronic symptoms. With others, symptoms come and go. Some types cause pain that may occur in many joints. With others, pain may occur in just one joint.

Most adults will have some form of arthritis in the course of their lifetime. Osteoarthritis, often called wear-and-tear arthritis, is the most common form. It's a chronic condition that usually occurs at midlife or later. It's thought to be due to the wearing out of a joint through use or overuse. Symptoms include pain and stiffness in the affected area during or after use.

Rheumatoid arthritis, the second most common form, is an autoimmune disease and not associated with wear and tear. It most often occurs between ages 25 and 50. It can affect the whole body, including lungs, nerves, blood vessels and eyes. It frequently causes general muscle aching and stiffness, fatigue, anemia and sometimes a low-grade fever.

If you have arthritis, your doctor likely will recommend one or more medications to help relieve pain and inflammation, to improve joint function, and in some cases, to slow joint degeneration. A treatment plan also could include exercising regularly, controlling your weight, applying heat or cold to affected joints and using assistive devices as needed. Many products, such as jar openers and kitchen knives, are designed to make common daily tasks less harmful to joints.

Mayo Clinic in Rochester
Carol Lammers
507-284-5005 (days)
507-284-2511(evenings)
email: newsbureau@mayo.edu

Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville
Erik Kaldor
904-953-2299

Mayo Clinic in Scottsdale
Anne Tewksbury
480-301-4368

Mayo Clinic Health Letter is an eight-page monthly newsletter of reliable, accurate and practical information on today's health and medical news. To subscribe, please call toll free 800-333-9037, extension 9PR1.

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