Is arthritis an autoimmune disease? (2023)

Many waysArthritisare autoimmune. This means your immune system mistakenly attacks your healthy cells, thinking they are dangerous invaders like viruses or bacteria.

The most common types of autoimmune arthritis arerheumatoide Arthritis(RA) iPsoriasis-Arthritisbut there are many kinds. And since many other autoimmune diseases affect the joints, it can be difficult to diagnose autoimmune arthritis.

Rheumatoide Arthritis (RA)

RA is a form of autoimmune arthritis that affects approximately 1.28 to 1.36 million adults in the United States and is three times more common in women than in men.The joints of the hands, wrists and knees are often affected.

Joint damage caused by RA can lead to chronic pain, imbalance and joint deformity. RA can also affect other organs, including the lungs, heart, and eyes.

There are two types of RA: seropositive and seronegative RA. People with seropositive RA will test positive for rheumatoid factor (antibody) and/or anticyclic citrullinated peptide (anti-CCP), while people with seronegative RA will not have either.

Symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis include:

• Pain or pain in more than one joint
• Stiffness in more than one joint
• tenderness and swelling in more than one joint
• Same symptoms on both sides of the body (eg, in both hands or both knees)
• Unintentional weight loss
• Fever
• tiredness or tiredness
• weakness

RA and osteoarthritis

Rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis have similar symptoms, but they are very different diseases.

arthrosis(OA), also called osteoarthritis, occurs when the smooth cartilage on the joint surface wears away over time. It is commonly believed to be a result of the aging process or overuse of a particular joint. It is not classified as an autoimmune arthritis.

RA is an autoimmune disease in which the immune system attacks the synovia (the membrane lining the joints).

Psoriasis-Arthritis (PsA)

Psoriasis-ArthritisIt affects about 30% of people who are affected by itpsoriasis, an autoimmune arthritis that affects the skin.Psoriasis-Arthritisaffects the jointsand where ligaments and tendons attach to bone.

This form of autoimmune arthritis can occur at any age but most commonly affects people between the ages of 30 and 50.For many people, psoriatic arthritis begins about 10 years after the onset of psoriasis.

In psoriasis, an overactive immune system can lead to a rapid increase in skin cell production, resulting in raised, scaly patches of skin. In people with psoriatic arthritis and psoriasis, joint problems can occur before the patches appear on the skin.

Some people can develop psoriatic arthritis after an injury. Genetics may also play a role.

Psoriatic arthritis can progress slowly or quickly. Symptoms include:

• fatigue
• Tenderness, pain and swelling of the tendons
• Swollen fingers and toes that sometimes look like sausages
• Stiffness, pain, throbbing, swelling and tenderness in one or more joints
• Decreased range of motion
• Morning stiffness and tiredness
• Nail changes such as pitting or detachment from the nail bed
• eye redness and pain (Uveitis)

There is little association between psoriasis and the severity of psoriatic arthritis. A person may have few skin lesions, but many joints are affected by this form of autoimmune arthritis.

Reactive Arthritis

Reactive Arthritisis not associated with autoimmune activity. Also known as Reiter's syndrome, it occurs in response to infection by certain bacteria in the digestive or genitourinary tract. Men between the ages of 20 and 50 are mostly affected. The incidence of this disease ranges from 0.6 to 27 per 100,000 people.

The bacteria involved in reactive arthritis include:

• Chlamydia trachomatis
• Campylobacter
• salmonella
• Shigella
• Yersinia

These bacteria are very common, but not everyone who becomes infected with them will develop this form of autoimmune arthritis. Researchers have found that people with a weakened immune system and those with the HLA-B27 gene are more susceptible to the disease and may have a more sudden and severe onset, as well as chronic and long-lasting symptoms.

Reactive arthritis can cause the following symptoms:

• Pain and swelling in certain joints, commonly in the knees and ankles
• Swelling and pain in heels
• Severe swelling of the toes or fingers
• Persistent lower back pain that usually gets worse at night or in the morning

Spondylitis ankylosans

Spondylitis ankylosansis an autoimmune arthritis. It causes inflammation between the vertebrae, the bones that make up the spine, and in the joints between the spine and pelvis. In some people, it can also affect other joints. Ankylosing spondylitis is the most common form of spondyloarthritis, a family of arthritis-related diseases.

Severe cases of ankylosing spondylitis can result in ankylosing spondylitis, in which parts of the spine come together in a fixed, stationary position. Up to 30 genes associated with this disease have been identified. The main gene associated with this disease is HLA-B27.

This type of autoimmune arthritis is more common in men than women. About 80% of people with the condition have some symptoms before age 30, and 5% don't have symptoms until age 45.

Symptoms of ankylosing spondylitis include:

• inflammation
• pain
• Stiffness in the shoulders, hips, ribs, heels, and small joints of the hands and feet
• irritation or uveitis
• lung and heart problems

Osiowa-Spondyloarthropathie

Axial spondyloarthritis is another form of autoimmune spondyloarthritis. Usually affectssacroiliac jointsand spine. In some cases, the joints of the arms and legs are also affected. People with this condition most often experience lower back pain. Men in their teens and 20s and those with a family history of the disease are most commonly affected.

People with damage to the sacroiliac joints visible on radiographs have a subtype of the disease called radiographic axial spondyloarthritis, while those who do not have nonradiographic axial spondyloarthritis have it.Some patients with axial spondyloarthritis who do not show up on radiographs develop structural damage that is visible on radiographs, but others do not. Ankylosing spondylitis is actually a form of radiographic spondyloarthritis.

This form of autoimmune arthritis can progress over the years and can also cause stiffening of the spine. Also, a hunched posture can occur as the spine merges in the forward position.

Symptoms of axial spondyloarthritis include:

• Slow or gradual onset of back pain and stiffness over weeks or months
• Early morning stiffness and pain that goes away or lessens with exercise throughout the day
• Persistence for more than three months (instead of spawning in short bursts)
• Better after exercise, worse after rest
• Weight loss, especially in the early stages
• tiredness or tiredness
• fever and night sweats

Juvenile arthritis

Children can also get arthritis.Juvenile arthritis, also called childhood rheumatic disease or childhood arthritis, is a general term for inflammatory and rheumatic diseases affecting children under 16 years of age.

The most common form of juvenile arthritis is juvenile idiopathic arthritis.Most forms of juvenile arthritis are autoimmune diseases.

There are three main types of juvenile arthritis, differentiated by the number of joints affected and the presence of certain antibodies in the blood:

• Oligoarticular (affects only a few joints)
• Polyarticular (more than five joints are affected)
• Systemic (causing swelling, pain, and limitation of movement in one or more joints and includes systemic symptoms)

Juvenile arthritis affects every child differently and can last indefinitely.Symptoms can sometimes improve or go away, but sometimes symptoms can get worse. A child with juvenile arthritis can also have one or two flare-ups and never have symptoms again.

Symptoms of this type of autoimmune arthritis include:

• Sore joints in the morning that go away in the afternoon
• joint swelling and pain
• The joints may become inflamed and warm to the touch
• The muscles and other soft tissues around the joint can become weak
• High fever and a light pink rash that can go away very quickly
• Growth Problems – For example, joints may grow too fast or too slow, unevenly or sideways
• Eye problems such as iridocyclitis

palindromic rheumatism

Palindromic rheumatismis a rare form of relapsing autoimmune arthritis characterized by episodes or attacks of arthritis affecting one or more joint areas sequentially over many hours or days. An attack can occur with no obvious triggers or warning signs. The joints of the fingers, wrists and knees are most commonly affected. It usually occurs in people between the ages of 20 and 50.

Some people with PR eventually develop a chronic rheumatic disease, most commonly RA.Others may develop lupus or other systemic diseases. People with anti-CCP antibodies found in a blood test appear to be at a higher risk of developing RA. There is evidence that PR may be a symptom of RA (or part of the RA spectrum) rather than a disease in its own right.

Symptoms during episodes include:

• pain
• Edema
• stiffness
• redness
• Fever
• Other systemic symptoms

The time between episodes can range from days to months.

Other autoimmune causes of joint pain

Several other autoimmune diseases can cause joint pain. In addition, they exhibit a plethora of other symptoms that can help distinguish them from types of arthritis and from each other. Still, the similarities can be enough to complicate the diagnostic process.

Systemic lupus erythematosus

Systemic lupus erythematosus(SLE, often just calledLupus) can cause inflammation and pain in any part of the body, with the most commonly affected areas being the skin, joints, and internal organs such as the heart and kidneys. People with lupus experience joint pain and swelling at some point, and some may develop autoimmune arthritis. SLE commonly affects the joints of the fingers, hands, wrists, and knees.

SLE is most common in women between the ages of 15 and 44. In the United States, the disease is more common in Black, Asian American, Afro-Caribbean, and Hispanic Americans than in whites.

In addition to joint pain and swelling, people with this autoimmune disease may also experience the following symptoms:

• Chest pains when taking a deep breath
• fatigue
• fever for no other reason
• General malaise, restlessness or malaise (malaise)
• hair loss
• weight loss
• mouth ulcers
• sensitivity to sunlight
• A butterfly-shaped rash on the face that affects about half of people with SLE
• Enlarged lymph nodes

Systemic scleroderma

Also calledsystemic sclerodermaThis autoimmune disease occurs when scar tissue (fibrosis) builds up in the skin and other internal organs, including muscles and joints. The thickening of the skin that accompanies systemic sclerosis can create tension, leading to a loss of flexibility and range of motion, particularly in the fingers.

The word "scleroderma" means "hard skin" in Greek. Fibrosis is caused by an overproduction of collagen, which normally strengthens and supports connective tissues throughout the body.

The three types of systemic sclerosis, defined by the type of tissues affected, are:

• Limited cutaneous systemic sclerodermaalso includes CREST syndrome and affects hands, arms and face.
• Diffuse cutaneous systemic sclerodermaIt affects large areas of skin, including the trunk, arms, and legs. Internal organs are often affected as well.
• Systemic scleroderma Sinusoidal sclerodermaIt affects one or more internal organs, but not the skin.

Symptoms of systemic sclerosis include:

• joint pain and swelling
• Raynaud's phenomenon, in which the body's normal response to cold or emotional stress is exaggerated, resulting in painful changes in the color of the fingers and toes due to abnormal contractions (vasoconstriction) in small blood vessels called arterioles
• sores or sores on the skin
• Decreased facial movements
• Fibrosis of internal organs and/or vascular damage (involving the lungs, heart, digestive tract or kidneys)

Rheumatic polyamigraphy

Polymyalgia rheumatica (PMR) causes widespread pain and stiffness. This autoimmune disease usually affects the shoulders, upper back, and hips. It can begin as young as 50 years of age, although the average age of onset is 70 years. About 15% of people with PMR will develop a potentially dangerous condition calledRiesenzellarteriitis(GCA), an inflammation of the lining of the arteries.

PMR symptoms are the result of inflammation of the joints and surrounding tissues and include:

• pains
• stiffness
• fatigue
• Fever
• Poor appetite
• weight loss
• Persistent headache
• Scalp Sensitivity (GCA)
• Vision changes (GCA)
• Jaw pain (GCA)

diagnostic challenges

Because many of the symptoms of all of these autoimmune arthritis conditions can be very similar and non-specific, it is important to see a rheumatologist for a proper diagnosis.

Here are some things your doctor will do to help with the diagnosis:

• Take your medical history and also ask about any family history of autoimmune diseases
• Conduct a physical exam to determine if symptoms are present
• Order lab tests to look for markers of inflammation
• Get X-rays, CT scans, and MRI scans to look for signs of joint damage

Treatment

There is currently no real cure for autoimmune arthritis, but some medications can help control the progression of the disease and relieve symptoms. Some lifestyle changes may also help treat autoimmune arthritis. Treatment is most effective when started early.

medication

Treatment varies depending on the type of autoimmune arthritis a person has. Autoimmune arthritis medications include:

• Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs(NSAIDs) reduce pain and inflammation.
• Corticosteroidsreduce inflammation and function of an overactive immune system. Side effects can be serious and affect bone strength.Diabetes,hypertensionand how prone you are to infections, which is why healthcare professionals usually only prescribe them for the shortest possible time.
• Disease-modifying anti-inflammatory drugs(DMARDs) have been shown to slow or modify the progression of joint damage in people with rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis and juvenile arthritis. However, it can take weeks or months for these drugs to work. One of the most commonly used drugs in this class is methotrexate.

Lifestyle Changes

In addition to medications, lifestyle changes can help with pain and mobility issues associated with autoimmune arthritis. Consider the following:

• Regular physical activity, if your medical condition allows it and with the approval of your doctor. Choose activities that put less stress on your joints, such as walking, cycling, and swimming.
• Wear protective gear when exercising to reduce the risk of injury.
• Control your weight to reduce stress on your joints.
• Eat a healthy diet, including fruits, vegetables, fish, nuts, beans, low-processed foods, and low-saturated fat.
• Stop smoking. Research has linked smoking to some autoimmune diseases, such as rheumatoid arthritis.

A word from Verywell

With so many different types of autoimmune arthritis and other autoimmune diseases that can cause joint pain and swelling, it's important to give your doctor all the information they need to properly identify and target the disease causing your symptoms. While most causes of autoimmune arthritis remain a mystery, research is ongoing to learn more about these conditions, which could potentially lead to better treatments and a better quality of life for those affected.

Keep a positive attitude even if you have been diagnosed with one of these diseases. There are many ways to manage the disease and relieve painful and irritating symptoms through medication and lifestyle changes.