Physiological Diseases of the human Skeleton
Inflammatory Disorders of joints
• Joint pain and discomfort can be caused by many factors
• Bursitis
• Arthritis
• Osteoarthritis (OA)
• Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA)
• Gouty Arthritis (Gout)
Bursitis• Bursitis is a joint disorder that is most commonly caused by falling on one’s knee
• It is commonly called “water on the knee”
• During bursitis the synovial membrane becomes inflamed and may need to be drained of excess synovial fluid
Arthritis• Arthritis comes from latin
• Arth = joints
• itis = inflammation
• There are over 100 different forms joint inflammation
• Out of all the types of inflammation “arthritis” is the most widespread and crippling disease in the U. S.
Arthritis
• All forms of arthritis have the same initial symptoms
• pain
• stiffness
• swelling
• Depending on the form of arthritis other symptoms will occur
Osteoarthritis (OA)• This is the most common form of arthritis
• It is a chronic degenerative condition that typically affects the aged.
• OA affects articular cartilages and is often called “wear and tear” arthritis because over time cartilage will wear down and expose bone.
Osteoarthritis (OA)
• OA is a very slowly progressing disease of the joints
• It is usually irreversible but can be managed and controlled with a mild analgesic such as aspirin or ibuprofen
Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA)• Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) is also a chronic degenerative disease
• It usually starts between the ages of 40 and 50 but can happen at any age
• RA is an autoimmune disease -- a disorder in which the body’s immune system attempts to destroy its own tissues.
Rheumatoid Arthritis• RA affects 3 times as many women as men
• During RA, pannus, an abnormal tissue that clings to the joint, erodes articular cartilages
• When this happens scar tissue is formed and can become ossified and even fully fuse bones together
Gouty Arthritis (Gout)• Gout is a disease in which uric acid (urea) accumulates in the blood and may be deposited as needle shaped crystals in the soft tissues of joints
• This leads to an agonizingly painful attack on a single joint
• The big toe is most commonly affected by gout