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Osteoarthritis

Medical Questions » Osteoarthritis
Name: Osteoarthritis
Also known as:
A degeneration of one or more joints that affects up to 15% of the population, most of them being elderly.
Causes of Osteoarthritis
Degeneration of the cartilage within joints, and inflammation of the bone exposed by the damaged cartilage, which is aggravated by injury and overuse of joint. There is also an hereditary tendency.
Symptoms of Osteoarthritis
Usually mild at first, but slowly worsens with time and joint abuse. The knees, back, hips, feet, and hands are most commonly affected. Stiffness and pain that are relieved by rest are the initial symptoms, but as the disease progresses, swelling, limitation of movement, deformity and partial dislocation (subluxation) of a joint may occur. A crackling noise may come from the joint when it is moved, and nodules may develop adjacent to joints on the fingers in severe cases.
Tests for Osteoarthritis
X-rays show characteristic changes from a relatively early stage, and repeated X-rays are used to follow the course of the disease. There are no diagnostic blood tests.
Treatment for Osteoarthritis
Avoid any movement or action that causes pain in the affected joints, such as climbing stairs and carrying loads (obese patients should lose weight). Paracetamol, aspirin, heat and anti-inflammatory drugs may be used to reduce the pain in a damaged joint. Physiotherapy, acupuncture and massage have also been found to be useful. Surgery to replace affected joints is very successful. The most common joints replaced are the hip, knee and fingers. Surgery to fuse together the joints in the back is sometimes necessary to prevent movement between them, as they cannot be replaced. Steroid injections into an acutely inflamed joint may give rapid relief, but they cannot be repeated frequently because of the risk of damage to the joint.
Complications of Osteoarthritis of its treatment
Severely damaged joints may dislocate.
Likely Outcome of Osteoarthritis
Depends on the joints involved and the disease severity. Cures can be achieved by joint replacement surgery, while other patients achieve reasonable control with medications. The inflammation in some severely affected joints can sometimes ' burn out' and disappear with time.
       
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