Polyarticular arthritis affects multiple joints and can be caused by infectious, rheumatologic, or non-inflammatory factors. Symptoms include pain, stiffness, and swelling. Treatment varies depending on the cause and may include medication, exercise, and surgery.
Polyarticular arthritis occurs when there is pain or inflammation in multiple joints. It is important to characterize how many joints are affected in a patient complaining of joint pain, because the causes of having pain in one joint, or monoarticular arthritis, are different from the causes of having pain in many joints, or polyarticular arthritis. The reasons for the development of arthritis in many joints can be grouped into categories that include infectious causes, rheumatologic causes, and non-inflammatory causes.
In general, this type of arthritis can cause symptoms such as joint pain, stiffness, swelling and redness. Sometimes the pain gets worse with activity, but in other cases, the pain might get better with movement. In some cases the joints are involved symmetrically, which means for example that both knees are affected at the same time. Although treatment varies widely depending on the cause of the arthritis, in general, treatments such as taking pain relievers, exercising your joints, and using heating pads can help revive some of the joint pain, pain, and soreness. pain that could be associated with arthritis.
Arthritis that affects many joints can cause non-inflammatory causes, infectious causes, and rheumatologic causes. One of the most common causes of polyarticular arthritis, osteoarthritis, is caused by non-inflammatory mechanisms. In essence, this disease is caused by chronic wear and tear on the joints and its prevalence increases with age. Joints commonly involved include the knees, wrists, shoulders and hips. Treatment typically involves exercise, weight loss, pain medication, and, in severe cases, surgery to replace the affected joints.
Rheumatological diseases can also cause polyarticular arthritis. Perhaps the best-known of the rheumatological conditions is rheumatoid arthritis, a disease in which inflammation of the lining of the joints causes symptoms including pain, swelling, redness and reduced ability to move the affected joints. Joints commonly involved include the small joints in the fingers. Treatment of this condition may include medications that focus on reducing inflammation, and there are several classes of medications available. Other rheumatologic causes of this type of arthritis include systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), psoriatic arthritis, and ankylosis spondylitis.
Infections can also cause arthritis in multiple joints. Bacterial causes can include Lyme disease infection and gonorrhea. Viral causes can include hepatitis C, hepatitis B, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), rubella, and parvovirus. Some patients develop a syndrome called reactive arthritis, in which they experience joint pain after having a bacterial infection.
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