The term arthritis covers over 100+ conditions that involve joint pain. Autoimmune Arthritis Diseases are a small group of like illnesses that share both symptoms and treatment methods. By creating a separate day for this group, awareness about these specific, systemic, and sometimes deadly diseases can finally be brought to a global level. This day is designed to raise awareness about Autoimmune Arthritis Diseases, specifically that they are not the same as having arthritis, or only joint involvement.
Although many types of autoimmune disorders are rare, collectively they affect more than twenty-four million Americans. Autoimmune disorders occur when the body’s immune system mistakes its own healthy cells, tissues, and organs for foreign diseases and infections, therefore attacking and weakening healthy body function.
Though the cause for autoimmune disorders is mostly unknown, it’s widely accepted that both genetic and environmental factors can both contribute. With rare forms of autoimmune disorders, people can sometimes go years without being diagnosed.
Autoimmune vs. AutoInflammatory Diseases
As we bring attention to World Autoimmune AutoInflammatory Arthritis Day, it’s important to understand how autoimmune and auto-inflammatory diseases are related yet different.
Similarities:
- They’re both immune system disorders that result in inflammation.
- The treatment goal for both is the same. The objective is to block the inflammatory pathway activated in each disease.
- They each cause similar, persistent symptoms such as, but not limited to fever, fatigue, rash, headache, muscle/joint swelling, shortness of breath, abdominal pain, enlarged lymph nodes, and red eyes.
Differences:
- They result from different pathways of the immune system.
- Features of autoimmune disorders typically include onset in middle age, are more common in females, and have more inconsistent occurrence of symptoms with flares and remissions (worsening symptoms at irregular intervals).
- Features of auto-inflammatory disorders typically include onset in early childhood, have more consistent occurrence of symptoms (recurrent episodes of fever), and a strong family history of similar symptoms.
- Autoantibody testing is negative in auto-inflammatory syndromes, but positive in autoimmune disease.
- An auto-inflammatory disease usually requires genetic testing to confirm.
The Connection Between Autoimmune Disease, AutoInflammatory Disease, and Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA)
Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) is an autoimmune (and sometimes auto-inflammatory) disease that causes inflammation in joints such as hands, wrists, elbows, feet, ankles, and knees. Though there are over one hundred types of autoimmune and auto-inflammatory diseases in the world, RA is considered a core autoimmune arthritis disease. Unlike osteoarthritis which is caused from the wearing away of the cartilage that caps the bones in your joints, rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is caused by the immune system attacking the joints. Most commonly, RA is an autoimmune disorder. Though in rare occurrences, it can present as both autoimmune and auto-inflammatory.
Autoimmune diseases and auto-inflammatory conditions are characterized by a hyperactive response of the immune system that causes damage to the organs, tissues or cells in the body. There are more than a 100 types of autoimmune arthritis affecting people globally. It is estimated that approximately 23.5 million individuals worldwide are impacted by various forms of autoimmune diseases.
What is autoimmune arthritis? Learn More on World Autoimmune and AutoInflammatory Arthritis Day
Autoimmune arthritis is a condition in which the patient’s immune system attacks the cells in its body, resulting in joint inflammation. The inflammation caused due to autoimmune arthritis is not limited only to the joints and may also affect other organs in the body.
What are the different forms of autoimmune arthritis?
Although this list doesn’t contain all autoimmune arthritis, some of the most commonly occurring forms of autoimmune arthritis include:
Rheumatoid Arthritis
Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic autoimmune problem that affects the joints on both sides of the body. Pain, stiffness and swelling in the joints is a common symptom of rheumatoid arthritis. RA can cause pain in different parts of the body, such as knees, ankles, hands, fingers, toes, wrists, etc.
Psoriatic Arthritis
This type of arthritis is the one that affects patients with psoriasis. As a result of psoriatic arthritis, the patient’s joints are affected. This condition causes pain, swelling and stiffness in the joints. It also causes changes in the nails.
Ankylosing Spondylitis:
This is a type of arthritis that primarily manifests as lower back pain. This condition is characterized by various symptoms such as hip pain and back stiffness. As the condition progresses, there is a possibility of the vertebrae in the spinal column fusing together, resulting in a rigid and immobile spine (ankylosis).
Juvenile Arthritis:
Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis, also referred to as Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis, is the prevailing form of arthritis that occurs among children under the age of 16. This condition causes pain, swelling and stiffness of joints in children. While certain children may experience the symptoms of this condition for a few months, some may experience them for several years.
Palindromic Rheumatism:
This is a very rarely occurring form of arthritis that leads to joint inflammation. Palindromic Rheumatism is characterized by symptoms such as swelling, pain, fever and stiffness in fingers, wrists and knees.
What are the symptoms of Autoimmune Arthritis? KNOW MORE on World Autoimmune and AutoInflammatory Arthritis Day
The various symptoms of autoimmune arthritis usually develop gradually and may come and go. Apart from pain, swelling and inflammation in the joints on both the sides of the body, the following signs and symptoms may be seen in a patient having autoimmune arthritis:
- Joint deformation.
- Decrease in range of motion.
- Loss of weight.
- Difficulty in sleeping.
- Dry mouth.
- Eye problems such as inflammation, dryness and itching.
- Discharge from the eyes.
- Anemia.
- Fever.
- Chest pain while breathing.
Who is at risk of developing Autoimmune Arthritis?
The risk of developing Autoimmune Arthritis is high in people having certain risk factors. These various risk factors of Autoimmune Arthritis may include the following:
- Genetic factors.
- Hormonal factors.
- Gender (women are at more risk of developing Rheumatoid Arthritis when compared to men).
- A family history.
- Age (people aged between 50-60 years are at high risk).
- Having obesity.
How can Autoimmune Arthritis be treated?
Depending on the type of Autoimmune Arthritis, the severity of the patient’s symptoms and their overall health, the autoimmune arthritis treatment plan will be formulated by the doctor.
Medications to Know on World Autoimmune and AutoInflammatory Arthritis Day:
Some of the medications that may be prescribed to relieve the symptoms of autoimmune arthritis may include the following:
- Disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARDs).
- Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs).
- Biologics.
- Corticosteroids.
- Immunosuppressants.
Physical Therapy:
A physical therapist may help the patient with Autoimmune Arthritis by providing physical therapy to improve the symptoms of pain, thereby improving flexibility.
