Autoimmune arthritis is a disease that occurs as a result of disorders that occur in the immune system, when one's own tissues are perceived as foreign. Immune cells against them begin to produce special proteins that cause an inflammatory process in the shell of the joints, cartilage and blood vessels. There are several forms of arthritis, many of which are autoimmune in nature. The article will discuss the causes, symptoms and treatment of this ailment.
Causes of disease
Inflammation of the joints of the musculoskeletal system is an urgent problem for modern people. Rheumatoid arthritis, which is a type of autoimmune disease, mainly affects people of working age after forty years, and in women it occurs five times more often than in men. The main causes of joint disease are considered to be:
- Genetic predisposition associated with wrongthe structure of chromosomes. Blood relatives are four times more likely to develop rheumatoid arthritis.
- Infections - viral diseases: rubella, herpes, retrovirus, Epstein-Barr. All of them are a factor contributing to the development of the inflammatory process in the joints.
- Unfavorable environmental conditions: radioactive radiation, constant exposure to low temperatures, chemical pollution.
- Systematic stressful situations, emotional overload. Autoimmune arthritis in the female half of the population often occurs during pregnancy, after childbirth, abortion, during menopause.
- Rapid weight gain.
- Alcohol and tobacco addiction.
All of the above factors contribute to the development of the inflammatory process, primarily in the cartilage tissue of the joints.
Symptoms
In the early stages, the disease is often relatively mild, so patients do not immediately seek medical help. Symptoms of autoimmune arthritis are formed gradually, and the development of a complete clinical picture of the disease takes several years. Most often, at the very beginning of the onset of the disease in adults, small joints are affected, especially the hands, and in children, on the contrary, large ones. During this period, the patient has only general symptoms. These include:
- weakness;
- malaise;
- loss of appetite;
- weight loss;
- subfebrile temperature.
The main signs of illness are:
- Morning soreness and joint stiffness for an hour or more.
- Pain and swelling.
- Characteristically symmetrical damage to the joints of the right and left sides.
- Limited function due to joint swelling.
As autoimmune arthritis develops, characteristic signs of the following character appear:
- Typical hand and foot deformity.
- The occurrence of muscle destruction.
- Disintegration of damaged joints, fiber compression.
At the final stages of the disease are possible:
- The appearance of rheumatoid nodules that do not cause pain.
- Swollen lymph nodes.
- Inflammation of blood vessels.
- Pathological processes in the kidneys, lungs.
- Heart problems.
- Osteoporosis.
- Diseases of the gastrointestinal tract.
- Neuropathy.
- Eye lesions.
An autoimmune disease (arthritis) leads to damage to all organs and damage to the small joints of the limbs. Due to the fact that a person may not experience typical joint pain for a long period of time, he comes to the doctor's office when significant changes have already occurred in the cartilage and joints, which greatly complicates the treatment.
Diagnosis
At first, exacerbations appear in the form of minute attacks, and sometimes last for several days. But abnormal changes in the immune system begin to occur long before obvious signs of illness. It is very important that when the initial symptoms of the disease occur, do not miss them andtime to visit the clinic. Often, patients ask - joints hurt, which doctor should I contact? If you don’t know which doctor to visit, you can always ask about it at the reception or go to an appointment with a therapist who will examine you and give you a referral to the necessary specialists: a neurologist, rheumatologist, orthopedist and surgeon. Timely detection of the disease makes it possible to slow down its development and improve the quality of life of the patient. When visiting a doctor with a patient:
- a conversation during which complaints, the duration and characteristics of the disease are clarified;
- external examination and palpation is done;
- complete history taking.
After that, the following laboratory tests are carried out to diagnose autoimmune arthritis:
- Clinical blood test - a characteristic feature is an increased erythrocyte sedimentation rate, with the development of the disease, a decrease in hemoglobin occurs.
- Biochemical blood test - nitrogenous wastes are detected, the functioning of the liver, pancreas, carbohydrate metabolism is assessed, blood clotting is checked.
- A blood test for antibodies - their presence and concentration are detected.
- C-reactive protein indicates the development of an inflammatory process.
In addition, the following hardware studies are prescribed to make an accurate diagnosis of autoimmune arthritis:
X-ray is one of the important diagnostic methods: it determines the presence of injuries in case of injuries; changes related toinflammation; joint deformity; proliferation of bone tissue; changes in the joint cavity
- Ultrasound - more often used to establish changes in large joints.
- CT - allows you to see the condition of soft tissues.
- MRI - widely used to monitor changes in ligaments, intervertebral discs, muscle structures.
- Scintigraphy - this method is often used to diagnose arthritis (ICD-10 code M05-M99) and is able to detect the disease in the early stages.
- Arthroscopy - often done on the knee.
- Puncture - performed to take synovial fluid for the purpose of its subsequent study.
After the results of all studies are ready, consultations with narrow specialists, an accurate diagnosis is made and appropriate treatment is prescribed.
Therapy Methods
The most important tasks in arthritis therapy are:
- Reduce inflammation in the synovial area to maintain and normalize dynamic joint capability.
- Preventing the development of a destructive process.
Methods of treating autoimmune arthritis include a range of diverse activities:
- Removing symptoms - most often you have to deal with painful sensations. They are well removed by NSAIDs.
- Basic therapy - it is started immediately after the detection of the disease. With the correct prescription of drugs, it is possible to relieve inflammation and achieve remission for a long period. Particularly effectivefirst-line drugs such as methotrexate, second-line drugs are less effective and are used for intolerance to the former.
- Topical treatment - rubbing with ointments and other means, for example, compresses for joints with Dimexide.
- Physiotherapeutic procedures - eliminate inflammation, reduce pain. Used at various stages of the disease.
- Surgical intervention - used extremely rarely in the absence of the effect of conservative treatment.
- Folk remedies - are used only after consulting a doctor. Very often traditional healers recommend burdock and bay leaf.
- Dietary nutrition is an invariable condition for the successful fight against arthritis.
Drug therapy
The following groups of medicines are used to treat autoimmune articular disorders:
- The main ones - help to slow down destructive and inflammatory processes in the joints: "Chlorbutin", "Cyclophosphan", "Plaquenil". To suppress an autoimmune failure, drugs are selected by an immunologist. They help restore immune processes.
- Local - medicines used for external use. They relieve inflammation, swelling, reduce pain in the affected joint. For this, compresses with Dimexide are prescribed for joints affected by arthritis, as well as Hydrocortisone, Novocain.
- Symptomatic - non-steroidal drugs that have anti-inflammatory and analgesic effects. These include:Ibuprofen, Voltaren, Ketonal.
Treatment requires long-term use of drugs that have serious side effects. Therefore, constant laboratory monitoring of their effects and timely detection of side effects is necessary. To achieve success, it is very important to follow all the recommendations of the attending physician and treat him with confidence.
Physiotherapy
Physiotherapy is an integral part of the complex treatment for arthritis (ICD-10 code M05–M99) of the joints. Some of them are used in the acute period of the disease. Treatments for inflamed joints:
- electrophoresis with glucocorticoids;
- ultraviolet radiation.
They relieve inflammation and pain.
In other stages of the disease, prescribe:
- magnetotherapy;
- laser irradiation;
- light therapy using lamps;
- massage and self-massage;
- mud baths;
- hydrotherapy.
Remedial gymnastics is very important for damaged joints. It helps to improve their mobility, prevents the formation of adhesions. The patient must perform exercises daily from the very beginning of the diagnosis, excluding the time of exacerbation of the disease. In addition, patients with arthritis of an autoimmune nature should receive an annual course of spa treatment, and the use of essential drugs is not canceled.
Diet for arthritis
It is very important to observe whenautoimmune disorders, limited nutrition, not only during an exacerbation of the disease, but also during remission. Dietary nutrition involves excluding fatty and fried foods from meat and fish, strong broths, canned food and semi-finished products from the diet. It is necessary to reduce the consumption of s alt and sugar. Avoid eating corn, whole dairy products, wheat porridge and rye bread.
Useful for arthritis dishes, consisting of plant products, low-fat sea and river fish, lean poultry, rabbit and calf. For drinking, use infusions of wild rose and herbs, fruit drinks from berries, green tea, slightly mineral water without gas.
Traditional medicine
If your joints are deformed and you are in severe pain, you can consult a doctor and try using folk remedies at the same time as taking medications. There are many recipes, here are a few:
- Chop the burdock root, take a teaspoon and pour half a liter of boiling water. Wrap up the container and insist for a day. Drink small amounts the next day. Continue treatment for a week.
- 50 g of crushed burdock leaves in a meat grinder pour half a liter of vodka, shake and put in a cold place. At night, make a lotion on the affected joints. The pain gradually subsides.
- 100 g of cinquefoil grass insist two weeks in a liter of vodka. Shake the contents periodically. Squeeze out the finished tincture and take 30 g one hour before meals.
- Chop bay leaves. Pour a tablespoon of powder with a liter of boiling water, hold on low heat for 10 minutes, remove and leave for eight hours. Strain the resulting broth and take 30 ml three times a day before meals.
- From grated fresh potatoes, make a compress on the damaged joint at night.
All procedures should be carried out with the permission of the doctor.
Surgical treatment
Experts resort to surgery for arthritis only when all methods of conservative therapy have been tried. In surgical intervention, the use of two techniques is of greatest importance:
- synovectomy - removal of the articular synovium;
- total joint replacement with an endoprosthesis.
The decision to replace the joint is taken by the orthopedist together with the rheumatologist. The operation is performed when the joint is very deformed and has lost its motor ability. And the most important thing is the desire of the patient to have the operation. In this case, the postoperative period is much more successful. An artificial prosthesis can last from 5 to 15 years. The patient must take care of the new joint and limit its mobility.
Conclusion
Chronic disease of articular tissues, which subsequently captures cartilage and bone structures, is a very serious disease. In the absence of proper therapy, it constantly progresses and leads to disability. Only complex treatment and patient compliance with all doctor's recommendations leads to remission. Now you know if the joints hurt, towhich doctor to contact. Do not delay the visit to the clinic. Self-medication, as well as unauthorized withdrawal of drugs, is unacceptable for this disease. They will result in a deterioration in he alth and the progression of the disease.
