Pain is the cardinal sign of all of types of arthritis. While everyone who has arthritis describes the pain somewhat differently, it is generally described as dull and constant, with periods of sharp pain.
The location of pain is often a key to the diagnosis.
- If only one joint is affected, then it increases the likelihood of osteoarthritis (Degenerative Joint Disease), gout, pseudogout or infectious arthritis rather than rheumatoid arthritis.
- Gout typically strikes the toes, especially the big toe, and ankles, although any joint may be affected.
- Pseudogout is more common in the knees, but can also occur in any joint.
- Infectious arthritis typically strikes the largest joints in the body such as the knees and hips, but can be found in any joint.
Osteoarthritis (Degenerative Joint Disease) typically causes pain in the major joints of the body like the knees and hips, but can also be found in the shoulders, elbows and fingers in someone who has performed repetitive tasks with their upper body (like farming or assembly-line work).
Rheumatoid arthritis pain typically appears in the same joint on both sides of the body, and attacks the hands, wrists, elbows, feet, knees and neck.
When the joint become damaged, the body’s response is inflammation. There are five signs of inflammation in the body: redness, swelling, heat, pain, and eventually reduced range of motion.
Each disease causes the inflammation in different ways:
- Gout and pseudogout: The deposit of crystals into the joint causes both of these diseases. The body responds to these crystals by releasing chemicals that cause inflammation. In gout the crystals are made of uric acid; in pseudogout they are made of calcium pyrophosphate.
- Infectious arthritis: The body attacking microorganisms that have moved into the joint is what causes inflammation in infectious arthritis.
- Osteoarthritis (Degenerative Joint Disease): Inflammation is a later sign in osteoarthritis and occurs when the joint itself begins to deteriorate.
- Rheumatoid arthritis (autoimmune): Inflammation is a common early sign of rheumatoid arthritis, as the body mistakes the joints for something foreign and attacks them.
The joints of the body can begin to break down and become deformed either as a result of direct destruction, as is the case in osteoarthritis (Degenerative Joint Disease), or as the result of inflammation.
Rheumatoid arthritis (autoimmune) is the disease that most commonly results in joint deformities, although they can happen with any severe form of arthritis.
Rheumatoid arthritis (autoimmune) is unique in that it tends to cause whole-body symptoms. While these symptoms are different from person to person, some of the more common symptoms are the following:
- Overall muscle weakness
- Fatigue or tiredness
- Infection-like symptoms such as fever and swollen lymph nodes
- Hair loss
- Chest pain
- Skin rashes
- Dry eyes and dry mouth (called sicca syndrome)
- Night sweats
- Weight loss.
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