23 Mar Arthritis

The word arthritis means inflammation of the joints. This term is used to describe more than a hundred rheumatic diseases and disorders that typically affect the joints and surrounding tissues. Each case will have different characteristics and severity depending on the location and will also be highly variable depending on the specific form of each disease.

Among the most common symptoms in all these pathologies are acute pain and stiffness in and around the joints and can occur gradually or suddenly. Only in the most advanced and severe cases can some alterations in the immune system and internal organs be involved.

Arthritis is the most common, but also among the best known would be rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, fibromyalgia, gout or osteoarthritis.

According to experts there is no known cause for many types of arthritis.

According to recent studies, this would be the percentage of the impact of arthritis on a day-to-day basis:

• 42% of people with RA need the help of another person to perform basic activities of daily living.
• 84.4% of the people who help these patients are relatives.
• 31.5% of those affected consider their disease as serious.
• 31% have neither voice nor vote when deciding on their treatment.
• In 40% of cases, those affected present severe fatigue.
• 61% admit to having very poor sleep quality.

According to a survey of arthritis patients, during the day pain, fatigue and depression are the worst factors, however at night insomnia, acute pain and sexual dissatisfaction appear.

Dr. Héctor Corominas, director of the Rheumatology service at Hospital San Pau in Barcelona and associate professor at the UAB, tells us that:

• “We still have a long way to go and we continue in search of REMISSION”(Remission is the concept that speaks of the absence of signs and symptoms of the inflammatory disease)
• “We have seen how the disease was treated years ago and how people lived with it, it has changed a lot”
• “The limitations of before and the progress of now. The change has been spectacular”

It is very important to search and find the help device or tool that works best for you.

Today in the market there are many models depending on the needs of each individual in order to facilitate independence in basic activities, giving us a greater capacity for autonomy so that the patients themselves do not depend on anyone and gain self-esteem.

If you suffer from any of these diseases and have problems to be able to carry out your day-to-day activities, we recommend that you visit our page