The main symptoms of arthritis are swelling, stiffness and pain. They are all signs of inflammation of the joints. Other signs are redness of the skin of the joints and the fact that the affected joints feel warmer than the rest of the body. The most common types of arthritis are rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis. Both these illnesses show the arthritis symptoms as described above and affect and inflame the joints. People who suffer from rheumatoid arthritis will also have to endure fatigue, lack of appetite and being feverish. Rheumatoid arthritis is also well known for attacking other parts of the body other than joints: skin, lungs and heart may be affected
The two types of arthritis have a different cause, they both attack primarily the joints, but whereas osteoarthrits is caused by the simple fact of wear of the joints through the years (as in older people or in professional athletes), rheumatoid arthritis finds its cause in the body itself. The body’s own immune system goes haywire and attacks its own joints and the tissues surrounding them. Since sometimes the immune system does not stop at the joints alone, rheumatic arthritis can have its detrimental effects on other parts of the body as well.
Treatment Of Arthritis Symptoms
Although we have to live with the fact that there is no cure for arthritis, understanding the reason why these symptoms occur is a major step. Understanding the symptoms means you can tackle them at the root of the problem . This is particularly important in the case of rheumatoid arthritis since a big part of the treatment will focus on reducing the harm, caused by the illness.
In most cases treatment will concentrate on pain management of the arthritis symptoms. This will involve medication for pain management. According to the severity of the pain this medication could be over-the-counter anti-inflammatory products containing ibuprofen ( Advil) or naproxen ( Aleve) or even stronger medication that will have to be prescribed by your doctor.
When you manage to control the pain associated with your arthritis symptoms, it is time to start working on reducing these symptoms. An exercise program is the best way to go about that. Try to create some sort of exercise routine that works on your range of motions as well as on strength and stamina. But first ask your doctor if and what exercises are best for your condition. After that it might even be a good idea to get in touch with a personal trainer, experienced in arthritis patients.
Arthritis symptoms are painful and seem sometimes even unmanageable. It is up to the arthritis sufferers to keep their spirits up and find those treatment options that will reduce the inevitable pain moments associated with arthritis and thus regain their level of activity and quality of life.
Posts Tagged ‘symptoms’
Arthritis Symptoms: There Are Ways To Understand Them
Sunday, March 14th, 2010Asbestosis and Mesothelioma Symptoms and Signs of Asbestos Disease
Friday, March 12th, 2010
Asbestosis and mesothelioma have symptoms that make it hard to distinguish the signs of asbestos disease from the signs of hundreds of other respiratory illnesses. Monitoring your symptoms can help you recognize when the signs of your symptoms start flashing “get medical attention now” because asbestosis or mesothelioma are on the way.
Asbestosis and mesothelioma are both diseases which can be attributed to asbestos exposure. Although some of their symptoms and signs of disease are similar, there are fundamental differences. Asbestosis is a lung disease, referred to as “pulmonary fibrosis” in medical fields. Mesothelioma is a rare form of cancer. Asbestosis can develop into mesothelioma. Anyone who has a history of working or living with asbestos is at risk for either disease, and is also seven times more likely to suffer from lung cancer.
There are symptoms of the disease that are familiar to many heart and lung diseases. For example, swelling at the tops of fingers and toes from an accumulation of excess blood is called “clubbing.” This is a familiar sign of heart disease or lung disease, and particularly in diagnosing asbestosis.
The most noticeable first symptom of asbestosis and mesothelioma is difficulty breathing. Obviously, this is a symptom of a plethora of diseases and a result of many normal human activities. For smokers, smoking is likely the cause of difficulty breathing. Smoking and asbestos are a deadly combination, and diagnosis of the disease is far more difficult when a person has a history of smoking. However, there are some notable signs that difficulty with breathing is a suspect for asbestosis or mesothelioma, rather than due to smoking. The breathing difficulties will become notably progressively worse and will be wrought with frequent spasms. The difficulty in breathing then leads to chest pain for asbestosis and mesothelioma patients.
Pain in the side of the chest and the lower back while suffering from progressive difficulty breathing is a symptom of Mesothelioma. Symptoms are more severe than asbestosis. High fevers, muscle weakness, and sensory loss are signs that the cancer has attacked the chest or even the abdominal area – and coughing up blood is not uncommon.
Asbestosis and mesothelioma symptoms and signs of disease are so common to other instances of lung disease and heart disease, that diagnosis often requires a long series of tests to distinguish the respiratory symptoms from one disease to another. Providing a history of asbestos exposure to your physician can help the physician prioritize the tests based on the most likely contributors to the cause of your symptoms. Asbestosis and mesothelioma both require substantial medical care as the diseases progress. Although there is not a cure for either, pain can be monitored and reduced with early diagnosis. If you’ve been exposed to asbestos, even from decades ago, monitor your symptoms and make an appointment with a physician if you begin having the symptoms of asbestosis or mesothelioma. A symptom is a sign of disease – and any signs of asbestosis or mesothelioma should direct you to get the medical attention you need to lessen your pain before it gets any worse.
Types, Causes and Symptoms of Cancer
Friday, March 12th, 2010Cancer is a disease where abnormal cell divide uncontrollably also known as carcinoma or malignant tumor,it can develop in almost all organs in your body this are colon, lungs, breast, skin and even bones.it also goes with gender because common cancer in men are prostrate,lung and colon cancer while in women are breast,colon and lung cancer.Cancer is caused by pesticides used in agriculture and homestead,such that as you protect yourself from malaria you are causing more harm in your body.other causes are radiation(UVL), sunlight,smoking(tobacco), benzene,some virus and poisonous mushroom mostly found in peanut plant.but causes of many cancer still remain unknown.Diet play a big role because you find gastric cancer very common in Japan,also in part of Africa where most people consume fast food chicken that are injected to mature in a month.However report shows that the most fatal one globally is lung cancer.Recently studies and reports shows how our society as a whole has grown heavier and chubbier,this being one of cause of cancer.Other type of cancer are kidney, skin, brain, cervical, intestinal, leukemia, liver, ovarian,pancreatic and Hodgkin’s lymphoma cancer.symptoms of cancer vary with location of tumor,like lung cancer cause coughing,shortness of breath or even chest pain.Colon cancer on the other hand causes diarrhea, constipation, and blood in the stool.Did you know some cancers may not have any symptoms at all.while others like gallbladder cancer, symptoms often do not start until the disease has reached an advanced stage.Common general symptom are unplanned weight loss,malaise,loss of appetite,fever, persistent fatigue ,sweating at night,change of skin and chills.
Bone Cancer: Causes, Symptoms and Treatments
Thursday, March 11th, 2010Cancer having its origin in the bones is referred to as bone cancer in medical terms. Bone cancers are relatively uncommon when compared to metastatic (cancer occurring initiated in another organ and spreading to bone tissues) or secondary cancer.
Bone Cancer Causes
Underlying causes behind bone Cancer is still unclear. However, there are certain risk factors that have been identified. Most of them suggest that Estrogen, female hormone, plays an imperative role in development and progress of this cancer. It’s known that women, having menstrual period for the first time before 11 or at a very later stage in their life, are more prone for developing this disease. The reason being that they remain exposed to higher levels of estrogen for a longer period of time. Again, count of menstrual cycle prior to first pregnancy is also considered significant. Experts believe that women having their first child below the age of 20 might be affected in the near future. Breastfeeding offers additional protective effect.
Bone Cancer Symptoms
Bone Cancer Symptoms are many linked to the location of the bone, which has been affected by cancer in the body. Common symptom associated with bone cancer is tenderness, swelling or pain in the affected area. Lump formation might also accompany bone cancer in a patient. Although the detection of lump associated to the cancer is difficult in the early stages, it can be felt when the disease occurs in or around the joints. Still, you cannot consider any of these symptoms as prominent signs of bone cancer.
Bone Cancer Treatment
Treatment for cancer of bone, mainly metastatic cancer, has 2 goals:
-Managing neoplasm
-Managing symptoms produced by local lesion
Prognosis is mainly affected by patient’s age, primary tumor size, lymphatic & blood vessel invasion degree, symptoms duration and tumor location on arm, trunk or leg.
There are 2 methods for treating bone metastasis. Systemic Therapy is aimed for treating cancer cells spread throughout your body. It includes hormone therapy, immunotherapy and chemotherapy. Local therapy is aimed towards killing cancerous cells of a specific portion on the body. It includes surgery and radiation therapy.
Surgery:
It is often extensive and involves the removal of a wide margin of tissue surrounding the tumor. Sarcomas, which involve muscles, also require removing the entire affected group of muscles.
Radiation Therapy:
It is mainly used for preventing local recurrence of radiosensitive tumor and given either before or following the surgery.
Chemotherapy:
Several drugs have proven effective for treating bone & soft tissue sarcoma. However, required dosages for providing a great chance to cure might lead to significant side-effects. Effective agents include cyclophosphamide, etoposide, vincristine, ifosfamide, doxorubicin (Adriamycin), dactinomycin (Actinomycin D), dacarbazine and investigational agent. In some cases, even combinations of all these drugs are used.
Hormone Therapy:
It’s either removal of organs producing hormones promoting growth of specific cancer types (testosterone and estrogen) or drug therapy for keeping hormones from promoting growth of cancer.
Even after completely removing bone or soft tissue sarcoma, significant risk is there that small tumors, left undetected, may spread to other regions in the body. Adjuvant Chemotherapy attempts for eliminating such tumor deposits.
Even, there are safer and effective methods for treating pain. Medications will allow people for being free of pain and continue the activities essential to them.
To Your Health!