Chronic polyarthritis, also called rheumatism, is the most common chronic inflammation of joints. Mostly a metabolic disorder is present. All joints can be affected, but mostly the hands.
The inflammation develops in the membrana synovialis (inner skin of the joint) of joints. Since the membrana normally performs the function of feeding the cartilage and acting as a synovial fluid, an inflammation causes changes in the substance. Inflammation occurs at regular intervals, resulting in permanent stiffening of the joint.
Polyarthritis occurs in relapses, which can either be gradual or sudden. During an episode there is swelling, overheating, pain and a reddish discoloration of the skin. As the disease progresses, there is also bony stiffening with extreme curvature of the joints.
- Physiotherapy for rheumatism
- Physiotherapy Spondylarthritis
- Juvenile idiopathic arthritis
Cause
The causes for the development of polyarthritis are not completely understood. The most common cause is suspected to be an autoimmune disease (cells in the body destroy their own important cells). Nothing can be done against an autoimmune disease, one tries to slow down its course by medication.
In addition to an autoimmune disease, a family disposition can be the cause of polyarthritis. If there are already patients with polyarthritis in the family, the probability of developing the disease increases. Polyarthritis can also be triggered by an infection. The most frequent cause is Lyme disease after a tick bite. The symptoms can only appear after several years, but often manifest themselves as a rheumatic attack.
Rheumatica
Medication administration depends on the patient’s condition and the severity of the polyarthritis. A commonly prescribed drug is methotrexate (MTX). Due to the severe side effects, regular blood checks should be performed by the doctor.
Cortisone is often prescribed in the acute phase. In the long term, cortisone also attacks the bones and makes the patient bloat. Although the tolerability of the drugs is not good, these drugs are nevertheless part of the basic therapy. Depending on the pain symptoms, painkillers such as Diclofenac are also used. How the other medication administration looks like should be discussed with a doctor.