Understanding Inflammatory Arthritis: Symptoms, Types, and Treatment

Inflammatory arthritis is a condition where the body’s immune system mistakenly attacks healthy joint tissue, leading to inflammation, pain, stiffness, and swelling in the joints. This type of arthritis can affect multiple joints simultaneously, including those in the spine, hands, and feet. The inflammation is typically due to the immune system targeting connective tissues in the body.

Common symptoms of inflammatory arthritis include the classic signs of inflammation: dolor (pain), rubor (erythema), calor (warmth), tumor (swelling), and functio laesa (loss of function). However, not all these features may be present at the same time. This condition encompasses a group of diseases caused by an overactive immune system. Beyond joint pain and stiffness, affected joints may feel warm, swollen, and tender. Inflammatory arthritis can also impact other tissues, including the lungs, heart, eyes, skin, and other organs.

Rheumatoid arthritis, a type of inflammatory arthritis, is a chronic disorder that can affect more than just joints. It can damage a wide variety of body systems, including the skin, eyes, lungs, heart, and blood vessels. Arthritis, in general, involves the swelling and tenderness of one or more joints, with main symptoms being joint pain and stiffness, often worsening with age. The most common types of arthritis are osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis.

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