What are the causes of arthritis? What are the main presenting symptoms of arthritis? Joint pain, decreased mobility and swelling are the three main symptoms of arthritis. If these symptoms are not present, it may not be arthritis, but rather pain in the tendons and ligaments surrounding the joint, which requires a detailed examination to confirm. The concept and causes of arthritis What are the main symptoms of arthritis? There are usually 3 main symptoms of typical arthritis: First, there should be pain of joint origin, which is a symptom that almost all arthritis patients will have, and the pain is aggravated with joint movement. Second, there is usually a decrease or even loss of joint mobility. Sometimes people may feel that their joints are “stiff” and may need to move slowly before they can make normal movements; sometimes they may feel that the movement of their joints is limited in a certain direction. Third, there is often swelling of the joint. However, sometimes the swelling may not be visible in larger, deeper joints, such as the shoulder, hip and spine joints. To summarize: joint pain, decreased mobility, and swelling are the three main symptoms of arthritis. If these symptoms are not present, it may not be arthritis, but rather pain in the tendons and ligaments surrounding the joint, which requires a detailed examination to confirm. What are the causes of arthritis? There are two common causes. The first is osteoarthritis. This is the most common and causes joint pain and gradual loss of joint function in adults. Doctors used to think that osteoarthritis was a process of gradual wear and tear of the joints, so it used to be called degenerative joint disease, and would tell patients that there was no cure but to be less active to reduce the wear and tear of the joints, but as scientists have come to understand the pathogenesis of osteoarthritis, they have realized that osteoarthritis is more than just wear and tear of the joints, so there has actually been a major change in treatment philosophy. The second is arthritis associated with rheumatic immune diseases. Rheumatic immune diseases, also called autoimmune diseases, are a large group of diseases caused by dysfunction of the immune system, many of which affect the joints and cause arthritic manifestations that are also important causes of joint destruction, the most important of which is rheumatoid arthritis. In addition to these two common causes, what else is there? 1. It is caused by trauma. In addition to the injury at the time can lead to obvious joint pain, swelling and other traumatic performance, in fact, sometimes some small joint trauma occurred, the back did not pay attention to still continue to exert force leading to increased trauma, will lead to the gradual development of osteoarthritis. 2. Infectious arthritis. Infection here refers to direct joint site infection, which usually occurs on the basis of impaired immune function, post-arthroplasty, or bone and joint tumors, or other arthritic diseases. Reactive arthritis, which is related to infection, but not infection of the joints, but infection of other parts of the body, there is a disease called “rheumatic fever” is a kind of reactive arthritis, but now with the widespread use of antibiotics, it is less common. 4, crystal arthritis, the most important refers to the gout. 5, some malignant tumors of the bone and joint, as well as some tumor diseases of the blood system, may also cause joint pain and inflammatory manifestations. If it is only the pain of the joints, such as “the knee joint hurts when walking more”, “the air conditioner hurts in summer”, “a cold limb bone headache”, what is the cause? There are two triggering factors, one is exercise, weight bearing, force, etc.; the other is changes in temperature, humidity and other environmental conditions. Sports-related pain is often caused by improper exertion of the joints, incorrect posture and exertion habits, which cause painful compression and strain on the joints and the soft tissues around the joints, such as bursae and ligaments. Prolonged improper exertion can cause inflammation of the soft tissues surrounding the joint, such as bursae and tendons, as well as inflammatory changes in the joint itself. To improve this condition, weight control, good standing, sitting and lying postures, avoiding prolonged periods of time in the same posture, getting up frequently for long periods of time, and strengthening the muscles of the large muscle groups and core muscles of the body. The specific mechanism of joint pain associated with changes in environmental conditions such as temperature and humidity is still controversial, but scientists believe that it may be related to the effect of vasoconstriction on the circulation of joint fluid and changes in pressure in the joint cavity. Cold and damp changes in the environment may indeed aggravate the symptoms of joint pain for people who already have arthritis, giving the illusion that the cold is causing the arthritis. However, it can be confirmed that cold and damp do not cause arthritis per se, nor do they aggravate it. If you have joint pain when it is cold, it is good to keep warm on the one hand, and on the other hand, you need to pay attention to whether your joints are not in a healthy enough condition. Rheumatoid arthritis What is rheumatoid arthritis? The term “rheumatoid” is often misused in a variety of ways, leading the public to interpret it in a variety of ways. In fact, rheumatoid arthritis is a disease with a precise definition, certain diagnostic criteria, and a standardized treatment plan. Rheumatoid arthritis most typically manifests as arthritis in the joints closest to the palms of the fingers and in the metacarpophalangeal and wrist joints, and as the disease progresses, the elbow, shoulder, knee, and ankle joints may also be involved. Inflammation of the joints may be characterized by pain, stiffness and swelling of multiple joints, often symmetrically in both hands. Rheumatoid arthritis is characterized by joint stiffness, known as morning stiffness, which occurs in the morning after waking up or after the joints have been in one position for too long, and the joints are difficult to move or can only move slowly. Prolonged rheumatoid arthritis gradually causes damage to cartilage and bone, resulting in gradual deformation of the joints and loss of normal function. Can rheumatoid arthritis be detected by a blood test? There are indeed some blood tests that can help diagnose rheumatoid arthritis, such as rheumatoid factor, anti-CCP antibodies, etc.; however, about 50% of patients are negative for both tests at the time of their initial visit, and perhaps 20% of patients remain negative throughout the course of the disease. Therefore, in addition to the hematological indicators, the doctor needs to see if there are characteristic clinical manifestations, to take films of the involved joints to observe whether there are imaging manifestations of rheumatoid arthritis, and then to exclude other causes of similar arthritic manifestations before a definite diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis can be made. How should rheumatoid arthritis be treated? There are three main categories of drugs used to treat rheumatoid arthritis: the first category is non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, commonly known as painkillers, which are used to quickly relieve joint pain. The second group of drugs are immunosuppressive drugs that control joint inflammation and slow down the progression of the disease, such as hydroxychloroquine and methotrexate. The role of these drugs is to reduce and prevent joint destruction and maintain the integrity and function of the joints, so they are the core of rheumatoid arthritis treatment. These drugs do have relatively large side effects, which may include liver damage, increased risk of infection, bone marrow suppression, etc. However, during the treatment process, doctors will monitor the situation of various side effects, and if there is a condition that cannot be tolerated, the drugs will be adjusted in a timely manner, and that serious side effects such as liver function damage, bone marrow transplantation, etc., will be slowly recovered after stopping the drugs. Is it right for patients with rheumatoid arthritis to take hydroxychloroquine and methotrexate and then stop taking them? If the diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis is clear, it is recommended to adhere to long-term treatment. The main goal of treatment for diseases like rheumatoid arthritis is to control inflammation and prevent damage to joints and bones, which is irreversible if joint damage and deformation have already occurred. In addition, rheumatoid arthritis is a systemic disease that gradually affects several joints and also damages internal organs, causing interstitial lung fibrosis, vasculitis, nephritis, anemia, eye involvement, and other manifestations. These internal organ involvement can make the disease more severe and can affect life expectancy. The key to treatment lies in controlling the underlying joint lesions. So for this reader who has stopped treatment for a long time, it is recommended to go back to the doctor, re-evaluate the condition and continue to start regular treatment. Are there any herbal remedies available for rheumatoid arthritis? Currently there is a drug, Leigongjiang polysaccharide, from the medicinal plant Leigongjiang, which has shown some usefulness in the treatment of some rheumatic immune diseases and has been used as an established medicine. However, there is no very valuable evidence-based medical evidence that other herbs and herbal medicines are effective. Are supplements or foods that are advertised to treat arthritis okay to use? Glucocorticoids are also used by doctors in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis to quickly control inflammation and reverse the severity of the disease in a short period of time. However, long-term use of glucocorticosteroids can have significant side effects, including diabetes, hypertension, and osteoporosis. The standard protocol is to reduce or discontinue the use of glucocorticosteroids after other medications have taken effect. Rheumatoid arthritis is a disaster area for all kinds of prescriptions, health products and drugs. Many drugs that claim to be effective are often illegally added with large doses of glucocorticoids, which look good when used, but long-term use can really cause serious side effects. Therefore, we emphasize that we should not believe in prescriptions, drugs and health products of unknown origin, and must receive treatment in the rheumatology department of regular hospitals.