Читать книгу Arthritis For Dummies - Barry Fox - Страница 84

IN THIS CHAPTER

Discovering the different forms of arthritis

Understanding various disease processes

Recognizing symptoms

Finding out what doctors can do

Knowing what you can do to help yourself

The various forms of arthritis all have one thing in common: They produce pain, swelling, and other problems in or near one or more joints. The symptoms may appear suddenly and obviously, or they may sneak up so gradually that you can’t remember when they began. They may strike with the force of a jackhammer or feel more like a chilly breeze. Sometimes the diagnosis is obvious; other times it may elude doctors for a year or longer. The varied treatments can be quick and effective, produce delayed reactions or in some cases, not work at all.

Osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis, the subjects of Chapters 2 and 3, are well-known forms of arthritis. This chapter examines some of the lesser-known and less prevalent, but still troublesome, forms of the disease, including pseudogout, juvenile idiopathic arthritis, infectious arthritis, gonococcal arthritis (a form of infectious arthritis), psoriatic arthritis, and ankylosing spondylitis.