Symptoms of Arthritis 2.0

Symptoms of Arthritis

Arthritis is a condition that affects the joints, especially the movable joints. Arthritis is the inflammation of the joints that occurs as a response to infection, injury, or invasion by a foreign object. The symptoms of arthritis are mainly the five cardinal signs of inflammation: swelling, pain, heat, redness, and loss of function (Weyand & Goronzy, 2021). The joint inflammation may be acute or chronic that is acute arthritis occurs is a joint inflammation that occurs within hours and days, while chronic arthritis is a joint inflammation that occurs for more than a week. Arthritis may occur in two types that is osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis.

The causes of arthritis are dependent on the type. Osteoarthritis is mainly caused by extreme age, which usually affects the old more than the young. The other cause is the female sex, joint trauma that affects the homeostasis of the joint and leads to an inflammatory reaction (Comee et al., 2019). The other factor is obesity which causes and is also a risk factor for osteoarthritis. Rheumatoid arthritis, on the other hand, is an autoimmune infection with an idiopathic origin. Still, it is mainly suggested that it is caused by several genetic factors and environmental factors, such as smoking, that lead to immune system dysfunction. The other type of arthritis is gout arthritis, which is caused by hyperuricemia that deposits uric acid in the joints, affecting the joints' homeostasis and leading to inflammation (Comee et al., 2019).

The symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis are more severe than those of osteoarthritis. The pathophysiology of arthritis occurs as a progressive condition that starts with cartilage loss, followed by bone damage as they rub against each other in a joint (Blevins et al., 2019). In osteoarthritis, the findings show subchondral cysts, subchondral plate thickening, and osteophytes due to the inflammatory reaction (Comee et al., 2019). More findings show that Interleukin-6, interferon-induced protein-10, monokines, and macrophage chemotactic proteins trigger enzymes such as serine proteases and metalloproteins that degrade joint collagen (Weyand & Goronzy, 2021). Once collagen degradation occurs, the calcification of the surrounding bones in the joint also decreases, and later the cartilaginous matrix is destroyed. The risk factors stated earlier are associated with decreased chondrocyte function and thus increase individuals' susceptibility to osteoarthritis.

On the other hand, rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune condition that may affect individuals with other underlying autoimmune infections, such as systemic lupus erythematosus, scleroderma, type 1 diabetes, and many other autoimmune infections. The degradation of the cartilage and the collagen fibers in the joint is usually precipitated by the circulating autoimmune antibodies, which in turn cause inflammation of the joints (Martini et al., 2022). The symptoms of arthritis are first noted on a complete physical examination and followed by laboratory findings. Therefore, on physical examination, the individual presents with the cardinal characteristics of inflammation. The arthritic patient presents with a musculoskeletal complaint, and the complaint is determined to be surrounding the inflamed joint. The main feature is pain or tenderness surrounding the affected joint. The pain is usually articular surrounding the joint but may also be generalized and non-articular, suggesting tendinitis. The pain is due to increased release of bradykinin due to the inflammatory reaction in the joint and are hyperalgesia mediators and promote pain sensation (Comee et al., 2019).

The other symptoms of arthritis include swelling and heat of the affected joint (Blevins et al., 2019). Swelling is usually associated with releasing exudates to the joint due to increased permeability of the blood vessels that release blood components such as plasma proteins in the interstitial space of the affected area and that lead to swelling (Martini et al., 2022). The increased permeability is usually initiated by inflammatory mediators such as cytokines and serotonin (Martini et al., 2022). The heat or the warmth in the surrounding area is usually precipitated by increased release of pyrogens such as prostaglandins which are inflammatory mediators and affect the hypothalamic temperature set points, which lead to fever and warmth around the affected area. 

Redness and loss of function are also symptoms of arthritis (Weyand & Goronzy, 2021). Redness that surrounds the affected joint manifests inflammation of the joint. The increased blood flow usually causes increased redness in the affected area. The increased blood flow is initiated by the release of inflammatory mediators such as prostaglandins, serotonin, and increased nitric oxide in the smooth muscle of the blood vessels that cause increased dilatation of the blood vessels (Weyand, & Goronzy, 2021). The loss of function is not much manifested in arthritis, but the affected limb's decreased range of motion is painful in the active range due to joint deformity (Blevins et al., 2019). The other systemic symptoms of arthritis are feelings of fatigue and impaired movement. The lab results show an increased process of leukocytosis and thrombocytopenia.

Read more about Symptoms of Arthritis here.

References

Blevins, J. L., Chiu, Y. F., Lyman, S., Goodman, S. M., Mandl, L. A., Sculco, P. K., ... & McLawhorn, A. S. (2019). Comparison of expectations and outcomes in rheumatoid arthritis versus osteoarthritis patients undergoing total knee arthroplasty. The Journal of arthroplasty, 34(9), 1946-1952. Comee, L., Taylor, C. A., Nahikian-Nelms, M., Ganesan, L. P., & Krok-Schoen, J. L. (2019). Dietary patterns and nutrient intake of individuals with rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis in the United States. Nutrition, 67, 110533. Martini, A., Lovell, D. J., Albani, S., Brunner, H. I., Hyrich, K. L., Thompson, S. D., & Ruperto, N. (2022). Juvenile idiopathic arthritis. Nature Reviews Disease Primers, 8(1), 1-18. Weyand, C. M., & Goronzy, J. J. (2021). The immunology of rheumatoid arthritis. Nature immunology, 22(1), 10-18.