The symptoms of arthritis develop slowly and are related to the inflammation of the joints and can therefore arise in any joint and impair the movements, such as walking or moving hands, for example.
Although there are several types of arthritis, such as rheumatoid arthritis or septic arthritis, usually the symptoms are similar, the main difference being in what causes the problem.
Test to find out if you have Arthritis
So if you are having discomfort at a joint, select your symptoms to know what the risk of being arthritis is:
- 1. Constant pain in the joint, most common in the knee, elbow or fingers Yes No
- 2. Stiffness and difficulty in moving the joint, especially in the morning.
- 3. Hot, red and swollen joint Yes No
- 4. Deformed joints Yes No
- 5. Pain when tightening or moving the joint Yes No
In some cases, arthritis may still cause less specific symptoms such as poor appetite, which can lead to weight loss, excessive tiredness and lack of energy.
Symptoms of each type of arthritis
In addition to the common symptoms of all types of arthritis, there are other more specific signs that can help the doctor arrive at the diagnosis, such as:
- Juvenile rheumatoid arthritis : daily fever above 39ºC for more than 2 weeks;
- Psoriatic arthritis : appearance of red and dry skin plaques;
- Septic Arthritis : may arise associated with fever and chills.
In addition, in cases of gouty arthritis, the symptoms are intense and usually appear in less than 12 hours, improving after 3 to 10 days, and affecting mainly the big toe joint.
What Causes Arthritis
Arthritis is caused by a wear and tear of the cartilage of the joint, which causes the bones to be exposed and begin to scratch one another, causing pain and inflammation. Generally, this type of wear is caused by the normal use of the joint and is coming up over the years, which is why arthritis is more common in the elderly.
However, wear and tear can be accelerated by other factors such as infections, strokes, or even by immune system response. In these cases, arthritis gets another name, called rheumatoid when it is caused by the immune system, septic when it arises from an infection or psoriatic when it arises due to a case of psoriasis, for example.
