Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsTypesSymptomsCausesDiagnosisTreatmentPrognosisCoping
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
Types
Symptoms
Causes
Diagnosis
Treatment
Prognosis
Coping
Inflammatoryarthritisrefers to any type of arthritis where your body’s immune system mistakenly attacks healthy tissue, causinginflammation. It often affects multiple joints at the same time, including those in the spine, hands, and feet.
This article describes the types of inflammatory arthritis, as well as symptoms, causes, treatment options, and more.
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Types of Inflammatory Arthritis
Inflammatory arthritis typically affects the joints. But it can also be systemic, with symptoms that affect other areas of the body—such as the skin or digestive system.
There are many types of inflammatory arthritis, including:
Chronic Inflammatory Arthritis
The three most common types of chronic inflammatory arthritis arerheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis, and ankylosing spondylitis. Spondyloarthropathy, pauciarticular juvenile arthritis, undifferentiatedpolyarthritis, inflammatory osteoarthritis, mixed connective tissue disease,lupus, scleroderma,Sjögren’s disease, or adult Still’s disease, are a few of the less common causes,
Musculoskeletal symptoms can occur due to inflammatory conditions that do not have joint involvement and may include bursitis, tendinitis, or polymyalgia rheumatica.
Acute Inflammatory Arthritis
Acute inflammatory conditions such asgoutandpseudogoutusually involve between one and three joints
Acute inflammatory conditions may involve four or more joints. Causes include viral arthritis, drug-induced arthritis, early connective tissue disease, rheumatic fever, palindromic rheumatism, or remitting seronegative symmetrical synovitis with pitting edema (RS3PE).
Lyme disease is an infectious type of inflammatory arthritis thatcan become chronic.
What Is Inflammatory Arthritis?
Inflammatory Arthritis Symptoms
All types of inflammatory arthritis The primary symptoms of inflammatory types of arthritis are pain and stiffness in the morning or after periods of rest or inactivity. With inflammatory arthritis, the period ofmorning stiffnesstypically exceeds 60 minutes.
Swelling, redness, andwarmthalso are common in or around the affected joints.
Symptoms oftenworsen during the cold winter months.
Inflammatory arthritis can cause complications, such as hearing loss or heart disease.
Inflammatory arthritis can affect people of all ages but is more common after age 50.
Each type of inflammatory arthritis can also have its own set of symptoms.
Inflammatory arthritis symptoms can vary. It can cause pain without swelling, swelling without pain, or physical limitations without either pain or swelling.
The main cause of inflammatory arthritis is inflammation around one or more joints In the body.
The different types of inflammatory arthritis have different underlying causes of inflammation. Some are related to immune system dysfunction. This can be hereditary, but it is not always inherited.
Infectious inflammatory arthritis occurs when the body’s immune system has an abnormal reaction to an infection.
Inflammatory arthritis is diagnosed based on a complete medical assessment that includes a review of symptoms, physical examination, and blood tests. Sometimes imaging tests or a sample of fluid from within the joint are needed as well.
Your healthcare provider will ask you how often your symptoms occur, whether you had recent exposure to infection, and what medications or medical conditions you have. Sometimes, physical signs can provide clues about the cause. For example, lupus can cause a characteristic redness of the face, and infectious inflammatory arthritis may cause a fever. But physical signs aren’t always present with inflammatory arthritis.
Blood tests that can be part of inflammatory arthritis diagnosis include:
These tests aren’t diagnostic, but they can aid in narrowing the diagnosis. For example, not everyone with rheumatoid arthritis is positive for rheumatoid factor (seropositive). About 20 percent of patients diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis are negative for rheumatoid factor (seronegative).The specificity is also not good in early rheumatoid arthritis, since other conditions may be associated with a positive rheumatoid factor (e.g., lupus, Sjögren’s disease).
Synovial fluid analysisfrom an inflamed joint is typically yellow and turbulent, with white cell counts above 10,000 cells/mm, with the greatest percentage being neutrophils.
X-ray evidence of inflammatory arthritis may include soft tissue swelling, chondrocalcinosis, joint effusion, osteopenia near the joint, symmetric loss of cartilage, joint space narrowing, and bony erosions.
Inflammatory arthritis can be treated symptomatically, and often the underlying cause is treated as well. Treatment for each underlying cause is specific to that cause. Many people only havemild symptomsthat can be well controlled with lifestyle changes, such as diet and exercise.
Treatment for the underlying cause includes prescription therapies such as anti-inflammatories and biologics.
For infectious causes, antimicrobial therapy may be prescribed until the infection resolves. However. after an infection resolves, anti-microbial therapy will not help reduce the inflammatory process, and other treatments might be needed.
Some types of inflammatory arthritis will resolve with time.Chronicforms of inflammatory arthritis can often be managed with medication and typically require long-term treatment.
Living with inflammatory arthritis can be a challenge. For some people, the symptoms are mild and might not limit daily activities. However, inflammatory arthritis can be severe and disabling.
You and your healthcare provider will need to work together to determine what level of activity you are able to tolerate, and how you can stay active. You will likely be able to continue some form of exercise that doesn’t exacerbate your symptoms—such as swimming, yoga, or walking. For some people, massage or physical therapy can be helpful too.
Diet can have an impact on some types of inflammatory arthritis—such asgout.
Summary
Inflammatory arthritis encompasses a broad range of diseases that cause joint inflammation, stiffness, swelling, pain, warmth, or redness. These conditions usually affect several joints and may have systemic (whole-body) effects too. The causes are as varied as the types of conditions, and diagnosis usually relies on a combination of tests. Treatment can help control the underlying condition and reduce symptoms.
Migratory Arthritis: Everything You Should Know
A Word From Verywell
Inflammatory arthritis can have a substantial effect on your day-to-day life, potentially causing discomfort and limitations In your movement. Rest assured that some types of inflammatory arthritis are curable, and even the types that are not curable can be managed with medication and lifestyle strategies. While a diagnosis of inflammatory arthritis can change your life, you can still have an excellent quality of life, stay active, and live without pain.
Osteoarthritis vs. Rheumatoid Arthritis: Key Differences
9 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Elmets CA, Leonardi CL, Davis DMR, et al.Joint AAD-NPF guidelines of care for the management and treatment of psoriasis with awareness and attention to comorbidities.J Am Acad Dermatol. 2019;80(4):1073-1113. doi:10.1016/j.jaad.2018.11.058Zhu W, He X, Cheng K, et al.Ankylosing spondylitis: etiology, pathogenesis, and treatments.Bone Res. 2019;7:22. doi:10.1038/s41413-019-0057-8Jarukitsopa S, Hoganson DD, Crowson CS, et al.Epidemiology of systemic lupus erythematosus and cutaneous lupus erythematosus in a predominantly white population in the United States.Arthritis Care Res. 2015;67(6):817-828. doi:10.1002/acr.22502Elfishawi MM, Zleik N, Kvrgic Z, et al.The rising incidence of gout and the increasing burden of comorbidities: a population-based study over 20 years.J Rheumatol. 2018;45(4):574-579. doi:10.3899/jrheum.170806Häuser W, Perrot S, Sommer C, Shir Y, Fitzcharles MA.Diagnostic confounders of chronic widespread pain: not always fibromyalgia.Pain Rep. 2017;2(3):e598. doi:10.1097/PR9.0000000000000598Ledingham J, Snowden N, Ide Z.Diagnosis and early management of inflammatory arthritis.BMJ.2017 Jul 27;358:j3248. doi:10.1136/bmj.j3248Means R.Anemia of inflammation or chronic disease.The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases Health Information Center[internet].Venables PJW.Diagnosis and differential diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis.Kaeley GS, Bakewell C, Deodhar A.The importance of ultrasound in identifying and differentiating patients with early inflammatory arthritis: a narrative review.Arthritis Res Ther.2020 Jan 2;22(1):1. doi:10.1186/s13075-019-2050-4Additional ReadingThe Primary Care Physician’s Guide to Inflammatory Arthritis; Diagnosis. Rheumatology Network.http://www.rheumatologynetwork.com/articles/primary-care-physicians-guide-inflammatory-arthritis-diagnosis.Inflammatory Arthritis Center. Hospital for Special Surgery.http://www.hss.edu/inflammatory-arthritis-center.asp#.UzS4Q4VsJ4w.Kelley’s Textbook of Rheumatology. Chapter 42. Polyarticular Arthritis. John J. Cush and Kathryn H. Dao. Ninth edition. Elsevier Saunders.
9 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Elmets CA, Leonardi CL, Davis DMR, et al.Joint AAD-NPF guidelines of care for the management and treatment of psoriasis with awareness and attention to comorbidities.J Am Acad Dermatol. 2019;80(4):1073-1113. doi:10.1016/j.jaad.2018.11.058Zhu W, He X, Cheng K, et al.Ankylosing spondylitis: etiology, pathogenesis, and treatments.Bone Res. 2019;7:22. doi:10.1038/s41413-019-0057-8Jarukitsopa S, Hoganson DD, Crowson CS, et al.Epidemiology of systemic lupus erythematosus and cutaneous lupus erythematosus in a predominantly white population in the United States.Arthritis Care Res. 2015;67(6):817-828. doi:10.1002/acr.22502Elfishawi MM, Zleik N, Kvrgic Z, et al.The rising incidence of gout and the increasing burden of comorbidities: a population-based study over 20 years.J Rheumatol. 2018;45(4):574-579. doi:10.3899/jrheum.170806Häuser W, Perrot S, Sommer C, Shir Y, Fitzcharles MA.Diagnostic confounders of chronic widespread pain: not always fibromyalgia.Pain Rep. 2017;2(3):e598. doi:10.1097/PR9.0000000000000598Ledingham J, Snowden N, Ide Z.Diagnosis and early management of inflammatory arthritis.BMJ.2017 Jul 27;358:j3248. doi:10.1136/bmj.j3248Means R.Anemia of inflammation or chronic disease.The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases Health Information Center[internet].Venables PJW.Diagnosis and differential diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis.Kaeley GS, Bakewell C, Deodhar A.The importance of ultrasound in identifying and differentiating patients with early inflammatory arthritis: a narrative review.Arthritis Res Ther.2020 Jan 2;22(1):1. doi:10.1186/s13075-019-2050-4Additional ReadingThe Primary Care Physician’s Guide to Inflammatory Arthritis; Diagnosis. Rheumatology Network.http://www.rheumatologynetwork.com/articles/primary-care-physicians-guide-inflammatory-arthritis-diagnosis.Inflammatory Arthritis Center. Hospital for Special Surgery.http://www.hss.edu/inflammatory-arthritis-center.asp#.UzS4Q4VsJ4w.Kelley’s Textbook of Rheumatology. Chapter 42. Polyarticular Arthritis. John J. Cush and Kathryn H. Dao. Ninth edition. Elsevier Saunders.
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
Elmets CA, Leonardi CL, Davis DMR, et al.Joint AAD-NPF guidelines of care for the management and treatment of psoriasis with awareness and attention to comorbidities.J Am Acad Dermatol. 2019;80(4):1073-1113. doi:10.1016/j.jaad.2018.11.058Zhu W, He X, Cheng K, et al.Ankylosing spondylitis: etiology, pathogenesis, and treatments.Bone Res. 2019;7:22. doi:10.1038/s41413-019-0057-8Jarukitsopa S, Hoganson DD, Crowson CS, et al.Epidemiology of systemic lupus erythematosus and cutaneous lupus erythematosus in a predominantly white population in the United States.Arthritis Care Res. 2015;67(6):817-828. doi:10.1002/acr.22502Elfishawi MM, Zleik N, Kvrgic Z, et al.The rising incidence of gout and the increasing burden of comorbidities: a population-based study over 20 years.J Rheumatol. 2018;45(4):574-579. doi:10.3899/jrheum.170806Häuser W, Perrot S, Sommer C, Shir Y, Fitzcharles MA.Diagnostic confounders of chronic widespread pain: not always fibromyalgia.Pain Rep. 2017;2(3):e598. doi:10.1097/PR9.0000000000000598Ledingham J, Snowden N, Ide Z.Diagnosis and early management of inflammatory arthritis.BMJ.2017 Jul 27;358:j3248. doi:10.1136/bmj.j3248Means R.Anemia of inflammation or chronic disease.The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases Health Information Center[internet].Venables PJW.Diagnosis and differential diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis.Kaeley GS, Bakewell C, Deodhar A.The importance of ultrasound in identifying and differentiating patients with early inflammatory arthritis: a narrative review.Arthritis Res Ther.2020 Jan 2;22(1):1. doi:10.1186/s13075-019-2050-4
Elmets CA, Leonardi CL, Davis DMR, et al.Joint AAD-NPF guidelines of care for the management and treatment of psoriasis with awareness and attention to comorbidities.J Am Acad Dermatol. 2019;80(4):1073-1113. doi:10.1016/j.jaad.2018.11.058
Zhu W, He X, Cheng K, et al.Ankylosing spondylitis: etiology, pathogenesis, and treatments.Bone Res. 2019;7:22. doi:10.1038/s41413-019-0057-8
Jarukitsopa S, Hoganson DD, Crowson CS, et al.Epidemiology of systemic lupus erythematosus and cutaneous lupus erythematosus in a predominantly white population in the United States.Arthritis Care Res. 2015;67(6):817-828. doi:10.1002/acr.22502
Elfishawi MM, Zleik N, Kvrgic Z, et al.The rising incidence of gout and the increasing burden of comorbidities: a population-based study over 20 years.J Rheumatol. 2018;45(4):574-579. doi:10.3899/jrheum.170806
Häuser W, Perrot S, Sommer C, Shir Y, Fitzcharles MA.Diagnostic confounders of chronic widespread pain: not always fibromyalgia.Pain Rep. 2017;2(3):e598. doi:10.1097/PR9.0000000000000598
Ledingham J, Snowden N, Ide Z.Diagnosis and early management of inflammatory arthritis.BMJ.2017 Jul 27;358:j3248. doi:10.1136/bmj.j3248
Means R.Anemia of inflammation or chronic disease.The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases Health Information Center[internet].
Venables PJW.Diagnosis and differential diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis.
Kaeley GS, Bakewell C, Deodhar A.The importance of ultrasound in identifying and differentiating patients with early inflammatory arthritis: a narrative review.Arthritis Res Ther.2020 Jan 2;22(1):1. doi:10.1186/s13075-019-2050-4
The Primary Care Physician’s Guide to Inflammatory Arthritis; Diagnosis. Rheumatology Network.http://www.rheumatologynetwork.com/articles/primary-care-physicians-guide-inflammatory-arthritis-diagnosis.Inflammatory Arthritis Center. Hospital for Special Surgery.http://www.hss.edu/inflammatory-arthritis-center.asp#.UzS4Q4VsJ4w.Kelley’s Textbook of Rheumatology. Chapter 42. Polyarticular Arthritis. John J. Cush and Kathryn H. Dao. Ninth edition. Elsevier Saunders.
The Primary Care Physician’s Guide to Inflammatory Arthritis; Diagnosis. Rheumatology Network.http://www.rheumatologynetwork.com/articles/primary-care-physicians-guide-inflammatory-arthritis-diagnosis.
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