The Bethlen Home Messenger, 1991-1992 (1-4. szám)
1992-03-01 / 2. szám
;JÍÍjpgtcal (Konter by Jody West The month of May is designated Arthritis Month. Arthritis is very common in the elderly, but can affect other ages as well. There are many different types of arthritis and this article attempts to discuss these types and their characteristics. Infectious Arthritis is a rapidly developing joint inflammation due to invasion of the joint by a microorganism. Patients experience joint swelling and redness, warmth, and pain in the area of the affected joint. Gout is a metabolic arthritis which usually affects middle aged men or postmenopausal women. The cause of this arthritis is an increase in uric acid due to an error in purine metabolism. In the acute stage, urate crystals are deposited in the joint and cause inflammation. The joint usually returns to normal. In the chronic stage, nodular deposits of uric crystals form on the joint cartilage and synovium and cause chronic inflammation and breakdown of the joint cartilage. The patient experiences excruciating pain and joint swelling, and may also see skin peeling and kidney stones as associated problems. Ankylosing Spondylitis is considered a connective tissue disease which causes inflammation and fibrosis of the spinal ligaments, intervertebral discs, and joint capsule. It also causes ossification or bone formation in these same tissues. The patient experiences morning stiffness and pain, and the disease most often originates in the sacroiliac area and moves up the spine. This disease causes decreased range of motion and severe kyphosis (hunched forward posture). Associated problems are fatigue, weight loss, cardiac problems, inflammatory eye disease, and inflammation of the foot tissues. Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis is a type of arthritis which causes joint inflammation and has an unknown etiology. This disease can strike any time in childhood and is seen more in females. The patient experiences exacerbations and remissions of the symptoms. The symptoms are morning pain, stiffness, and decreased range of motion. This disease can affect one joint or many joints. It can cause premature closure of a child’s growth plates, resulting in smaller bone formation. Associated problems include rash, fever, enlargement of organs, weight loss, anemia, and inflammation of the eyes. Systemic Lupus Erythmatous (SLE) is a chronic inflammatory disease. It can strike any age from adolescents to adults and affects more females than males. This is a connective tissue disease with unknown etiology. The patient experiences a butterfly rash (which is worsened with sunlight), pleural effusions, pericarditis (inflammation of the sac enclosing the heart), nephritis (inflammation of the kidney), neurologic manifestations, and pain and weakness of the muscles. This patient also has joint involvement mostly of the hands, wrists, knees, and shoulders. The patient experiences exacerbations and remissions of symptoms. Scleroderma (Progressive Systemic Sclerosis [PSS]) is another connective tissue disorder which causes degenerative and fibrotic changes in the skin, synovium, and small arteries. This disease affects ages 20-50 years old, and affects females more than males. The patient experiences pitting edema, joint stiffness, and thickening, tautness, and shininess of the skin. The patient has an expressionless face from the tautness and also has difficulty opening their mouth. Associated problems are calcium deposits in the skin, hypersensitivity to cold, esophageal dysfunction, shininess and puffiness of the fingers, dilated and broken blood vessels in the fingers and face, muscle atrophy, organ involvement, and finger ulcers. Rheumatoid Arthritis is a combination of bacterial/viral infections and an autoimmune disease. It affects ages 35-40 and affects females more than males. The disease is characterized by progressive deformities and exacerbations and remissions of symptoms. The patient experiences morning pain for approximately one half hour, and if an acute flareup, 3-4 hours of pain. The patient experiences morning stiffness, fatigue, weakness/atrophy, and multiple deformities of the joints. Associated problems of RA include: rheumatoid nodules, inflammation of tendon sheaths, carpal tunnel syndrome, inflammation of the heart muscle, and inflammation of small vessels. Some of the treatments that Physical Therapy is involved in for arthritic diseases, especially R A, are: modalities (hot or cold) to help decrease pain, air splints, contrast baths or isotoner gloves to help decrease swelling, range of motion exercises to help increase range of motion, and isometric/ progressive resistive/isotonic exercises to help increase muscle strength. gépest Jipmpatljp The staff of Bethlen Home extends its deepest sympathy to the families and friends of the following former residents. ELMER BROWN NELLIE STEAR MARGARET TOROS MARIE BYERS FRANCES CARNES ELIZABETH CZAKOCZI RICHMOND FERGUSON
