Inflammation and Arthritis

What Is Inflammation?

Inflammation is a process in which the body's white blood cells and chemicals help protect us from infection and foreign substances such as bacteria and viruses.

In some diseases, however, the body's defense system (immune system) triggers an inflammatory response when there are no foreign substances to fight off. In these diseases, called autoimmune diseases, the body's normally protective immune system causes damage to its own tissues. The body responds as if normal tissues are infected or somehow abnormal.

What Diseases Are Associated With Inflammation?

Some, but not all types of arthritis, are the result of misdirected inflammation. Arthritis is a general term that describes inflammation in joints. Some types of arthritis associated with inflammation include:

• Rheumatoid arthritis
• Tendonitis or bursitis
• Gouty arthritis
• Polymyalgia rheumatica

The most common form of arthritis called osteoarthritis (also known as degenerative arthritis) is a bit of a misnomer. It is not believed that inflammation plays much or any role in osteoarthritis. Other painful conditions of the joints and musculoskeletal system that are not associated with inflammation include fibromyalgia, muscular low back pain and muscular neck pain.

What Are the Symptoms of Inflammation?

Inflammation is characterized by:

• Redness
• Swollen joint that's warm to touch
• Joint pain
• Joint stiffness
• Loss of joint function

Often, only a few of these symptoms are present.

Inflammation may also be associated with general "flu"-like symptoms including:

• Fever
• Chills
• Fatigue/loss of energy
• Headaches
• Loss of appetite
• Muscle stiffness

What Causes the Symptoms of Inflammation?

When inflammation occurs, chemicals from the body are released into the blood or affected tissues. This release of chemicals increases the blood flow to the area of injury or infection and may result in redness and warmth. Some of the chemicals cause a leak of fluid into the tissues, resulting in swelling. This process may stimulate nerves and cause pain.

What Are the Results of Joint Inflammation?

The increased number of cells and inflammatory substances within the joint can cause irritation, wearing down of cartilage (cushions at the end of bones) and swelling of the joint lining.

How Are Inflammatory Diseases Diagnosed?

Diagnosis of inflammatory diseases consists of all or some of the following:

• Complete medical history and physical exam.
• The location of painful joints.
• Presence of joint stiffness in the morning.
• Evaluation of other symptoms.
• Results of X-rays and other tests.

Can Inflammation Affect Internal Organs?

Yes. Inflammation can affect organs as part of an autoimmune disorder. The type of symptoms depends on which organs are affected. For example:

• Inflammation of the heart (myocarditis) may cause vague chest pain or fluid retention.
• Inflammation of the small tubes that transport air to the lungs (bronchiolitis) may cause shortness of breath similar to an asthma attack.
• Inflammation of the kidneys (nephritis) may cause high blood pressure or kidney failure.
• Inflammation of the large intestine (colitis) may cause cramps and diarrhea.

Pain may not be a main symptom since many organs do not have many pain-sensitive nerves. Treatment of organ inflammation is directed at the cause of inflammation whenever possible.

How Are Inflammatory Joint Diseases Treated?

There are a number of treatment options for inflammatory diseases including medications, rest and exercise, and surgery to correct joint damage. The type of treatment prescribed will depend on several factors including the type of disease, the person's age, type of medications he or she is taking, overall health, medical history and severity of symptoms.

The goals of treatment are to:

• Avoid or modify activities that aggravate pain
• Relieve pain through pain-relieving medications and anti-inflammatory medications
• Maintain joint movement and muscle strength through physical therapy and exercise
• Decrease stress on the joints by using braces, splints or canes as needed

What Medications Are Used to Treat Inflammatory Diseases?

There are many medications available to decrease joint pain, swelling and inflammation and hopefully prevent or minimize the progression of the inflammatory disease. The medications include:

• Anti-inflammatory pain reliever drugs (NSAIDs - such as aspirin, ibuprofen or Celebrex).
• Corticosteroids (such as prednisone).
• Other medications* include chemotherapy drugs, disease modifying treatments, biologic therapy, or narcotic pain relievers.

*Some of these medications are traditionally used to treat other conditions such as cancer and inflammatory bowel disease or to prevent organ rejection after transplants. However, when "chemotherapy" types of medications are used to treat inflammatory diseases, the doses are significantly lower and the risks of side effects tend to be considerably less than when prescribed in higher doses for cancer.

When you are prescribed any medication, it is important to meet with your doctor regularly so he or she can check its effectiveness and detect the development of any side effects.