Category Archives: Arthritis

Gout may lower the risk of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease. A 2015 study examined the protective effects of gout in regards to reducing the risk of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease. Gout is a disease categorized by an excess amount of purines and uric acid which crystallize and cause pain. Although gout increases the risk of ...click here to read more

Chronic pain threshold in rheumatoid arthritis may be raised by altering brain chemistry. Pain is a common complaint in rheumatoid arthritis patients but little is known about the mechanisms which contribute to this pain. In the U.S. alone the cost of treating rheumatoid arthritis is estimated at $128 billion and the condition affects nearly one ...click here to read more

Walking exercise could be a new prescription in the fight against fatigue associated with rheumatoid arthritis. Like pain, fatigue is a symptom that can appear with many different diseases, rheumatoid arthritis is one of those diseases. Fatigue is best described as an overwhelming feeling of exhaustion both physically and mentally. Chronic fatigue is constant tiredness ...click here to read more

If you have rheumatoid arthritis the holiday season can be a difficult time. If you encounter a rheumatoid arthritis flare-up during the holidays it can be so painful you may not even wish to partake in any of the festivities simply because you’re in so much pain. A rheumatoid arthritis flare-up is categorized by pain, ...click here to read more

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection has been found to cause rheumatoid arthritis, even before HCV is detected. Hepatitis C can contribute to liver failure but is also known to cause rheumatoid arthritis – inflammation of the joints. Due to the link between HCV and rheumatoid conditions, it’s important that newly diagnosed patients of rheumatoid conditions ...click here to read more

The American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons (AAOS) has introduced new guidelines for patients undergoing surgery for knee osteoarthritis. The new guidelines aim to improve mobility and relieve pain that is associated with knee osteoarthritis. The guidelines are for total knee replacement (TKR), which is a common form of surgery for knee osteoarthritis. Chair of the ...click here to read more

Hip osteoarthritis can cause pain and may not be visible on x-ray. A new study has found that the majority of hip x-rays cannot detect hip osteoarthritis (OA), which can delay treatment of the disease. Hip osteoarthritis is a major cause of morbidity and leads to pain, difficulties walking, and even disability. The prevalence of ...click here to read more

Osteoarthritis can cause knee pain, but combatting that knee pain may be as easy as walking. The older we get, the more it seems our joints start to hurt. All the years of being active finally catch up with us, and pain starts to set in. In particular, it seems that our knees take the ...click here to read more

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) can increase the risk of dry eyes, glaucoma and cataracts. Rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune disease where the immune system attacks the joints causing inflammation and pain. Aside from affecting joints, rheumatoid arthritis can also affect the eyes as well. Due to the influx of inflammation, RA can lead to serious eye ...click here to read more

When someone has a gout, a painful form of arthritis, along with what is referred to as tophi, or uric acid crystal deposits, researchers say they could be at risk of getting heart disease, too. Gout has been described as a complicated type of arthritis, which affects men more often than women. It is characterized by ...click here to read more

Temporal arteritis, also known as giant cell arteritis or GCA, is a rare autoimmune disease, but for the roughly 500,000 Americans who currently suffer from it, the condition can be further aggravated by its relation to another immune disorder. Temporal arteritis or giant cell arteritis is inflammation and damage to the blood vessels that supply ...click here to read more

If you’re over the age of 40, you’re at an increased risk of rheumatoid arthritis. An autoimmune disease, rheumatoid arthritis affects small joints like the ones found in your fingers and toes. Inflammation occurs between the joints, often causing pain and swelling. Because rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune disease it differs from regular arthritis. With ...click here to read more

Lower back pain may be a sign of ankylosing spondylitis (AS), a type of spinal arthritis. Ankylosing spondylitis is a type of arthritis in the spine, so it is not caused by injury to the spine but rather inflammation in the vertebrae. The most common symptom of ankylosing spondylitis is back pain, but the condition ...click here to read more

Reiter’s syndrome – reactive arthritis – is an inflammatory arthritis that affects joints, eyes, urethra, and the skin. The swelling in reactive arthritis is commonly caused by an infection in another part of the body, most commonly the genitals, urinary tract or intestines. Reiter’s syndrome is actually a specific form of reactive arthritis that primarily ...click here to read more