What is arthritis

Inflammatory joint diseases are summarized under the umbrella term arthritis. There are numerous subtypes of joint inflammation, the most common being rheumatoid arthritis. The knee is particularly affected by arthritis, but all other joints can also suffer from it.

Arthritis diseases are typically chronic and worsen with relapses. Many sufferers are in great pain. Often their everyday life is severely impaired, the quality of life suffers and social activities are shut down.

According to the arthritis definition of the Robert Koch Institute (RKI), the diseases arise from genetically determined autoimmune processes that have not yet been fully clarified. This is how the forms of arthritis differ from osteoarthritis . With athrosis, the wear and tear processes are to blame for the damage in the joint. But infections can also be a cause of arthritis.

Quite a few people in this country suffer from joint inflammation. In a representative survey by the RKI, around seven percent of women and five percent of men said that they had previously been diagnosed with arthritis, rheumatoid arthritis or rheumatoid arthritis. Such a diagnosis is still rare in young people, and the diseases appear more frequently with increasing age.

Osteoarthritis and arthritis are joint diseases with similar symptoms. Read here how to differentiate between the two diseases.

What is osteoarthritis? Read everything about joint pain and its causes as well as the typical symptoms and their treatment here 

Arthritis: causes and forms

Doctors are familiar with numerous forms of arthritis with very different symptoms, courses and forms. On the one hand, they can be divided according to their extent: "Monarthritis" affects only one joint, "Oligoarthritis" affects several joints and "Polyarthritis" affects many joints. Because the inflammation can appear very suddenly, but also gradually, experts differentiate between acute arthritis and chronic arthritis.

The causes of arthritis are also very diverse. That is why the World Health Organization (WHO) classifies diseases according to their “trigger”. Their “International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems” (ICD) distinguishes between two main groups: so-called “ infectious arthropathies ” (e.g. arthritis caused by staphylococci, pneumococci or rubella , reactive arthritis) and “ inflammatory polyarthropathies ” (e.g. gout , Psoriatic arthritis, rheumatoid arthritis).

Common forms are infectious arthritis, reactive arthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, juvenile idiopathic arthritis, psoriatic arthritis, gouty arthritis, and ankylosing spondylitis ( ankylosing spondylitis ).

 

In oligoarthritis, multiple joints are inflamed, such as the shoulder, elbow, wrist, and hip joint, as the picture shows

Infectious arthritis

In infectious arthritis, pathogens are to blame for the inflammation in the joint. They either come directly to the affected part of the body (e.g. through surgery, joint puncture or bites), expand from another focus of inflammation or migrate to the joint via the bloodstream. Usually it is bacteria such as staphylococci or streptococci that cause the inflammation, but viral or fungal infections can also lead to arthritis.

Reactive arthritis

Doctors call reactive arthritis when the joints become inflamed as a result of a bacterial infection of the intestines or urethra. This forms of arthritis is considered an autoimmune disease because the infection presumably triggers an immune reaction that is directed against your own body. In some cases it is sexually transmitted pathogens that cause the reaction (such as gonorrhea or chlamydia). If, on the other hand, the infection originates in the intestine, it is, for example, salmonella or shigella that cause health problems.

Rheumatoid arthritis

Rheumatoid arthritis is the most common inflammatory diseases of the joints. Cells of the immune system attack the body's own tissue. The form is also known as rheumatoid arthritis, rheumatoid arthritis or - colloquially - just rheumatism . The exact causes of the diseases is still unknowns. What is certain is that autoimmune processes play an important role and that there is a genetic predisposition to rheumatoid arthritis. Researchers believe that a combination of different factors causes joint inflammation.

Juvenile idiopathic arthritis

Juvenile idiopathic arthritis is an inflammatory joint disease in childhood (juvenile), the cause of which is unexplained (idiopathic). It appears before the age of 16 and lasts longer than six weeks. Doctors suspect that the underlying autoimmune mechanisms are triggered by pathogens or trauma. A genetic predisposition then leads to chronic inflammation in one or more joints, which typically occurs in attacks.

ankylosing spondylitis

Bechterew's disease, or ankylosing spondylitis in technical terms, is an inflammatory rheumatic disease that is associated with pain and stiff joints. It belongs to the group of diseases of the spinal column joints (spondyloarthritis). The pelvis and spine are particularly affected by the inflammatory processes.

The exact causes of this form of arthritis are not yet known either, but a disorder of the immune system is likely to cause joints to ossify, damage the spine and cause patients to suffer from severe pain.

Psoriatic arthritis

Psoriatic arthritis occurs the patient with a small proportion of psoriasis on (psoriasis). This condition is also one of the autoimmune diseases and the exact causes of this condition have not yet been determined. It is clears that the immune system is directed against the body's own structures and triggers inflammatory processes.

How severe the symptoms are varies greatly from person to person. Usually the hands, feet, knees or pelvis are affected, but all other joints can also suffer. Since not all psoriasis patients develop this form of arthritis, genetic predisposition probably plays a major role. But environmental factors, such as medication or infections, could also promote joint inflammation.

Gout arthritis

Gouty arthritis, also called arthritis urica, is one of the most common forms of arthritis in Germany. The acute attack is caused by uric acid crystals that are deposited in the joint and to which the immune system reacts with inflammation. A disturbed kidney function affects the purine metabolism and the uric acid level in the blood rises. In rarer cases, conditions such as leukemia , anemia, or psoriasis are responsible for the uric acid level being excessively high. Gouty arthritis can affect many joints in the body, but often starts with the metatarsophalangeal joint of the big toe.