Arthritis: The Importance of Raising Awareness

Arthritis is a condition of painful, swollen and stiff joints which predominantly affects during the early morning. Due to these daily routine activities are severely affected. This is in contrast with joint pain affected due to age, trauma and infection which increases with joint usage. Different patterns of affected joints help in the diagnosis of a particular kind of arthritis like Rheumatoid Arthritis, Spondyloarthropathy. This condition affects millions of people worldwide. Along with joint pain other important organs can be involved like kidneys, brain and can be serious. Specialists dealing with such cases are called ‘Rheumatologists’ and this super-speciality branch of medicine which deals with such cases is called ‘Clinical Immunology and Rheumatology’.

Genes, infection and the environment can be the cause of such diseases. Females are mostly affected because of hormonal issues. Generally, there is very less awareness that children too can be affected thereby causing delayed diagnosis and poor treatment results. This affects their confidence and scholastic performance. Contrary to popular belief, females can enjoy motherhood with a healthy pregnancy and successful delivery. A very important aspect is that treatment may need to be modified before pregnancy as per the doctor’s advice. Under proper guidance, patients can undergo various surgeries without stopping rheumatic drugs. Elderly people need special care as they can have other associated diseases like diabetes, and kidney problems. Patients who come after treatment from multiple doctors agree that they were unaware of such medical speciality exists in contrast to neurology, cardiology etc.

Overall, arthritis cases with or without other organ involvement have got good treatment outcomes.
With proper awareness, there should not be any patient who either suffers from a deformed body or succumbs to the disease. There is a still long way to go to make aware that arthritis and rheumatological diseases can be treated effectively. This also requires patience, faith and sincerity from the patient’s side.

Let’s work together to raise awareness about arthritis and improve the lives of those living with this condition.

Dr. Pravin. S. Jain
Consultant (Clinical Immunology and Rheumatology)
KLES Dr. Prabhakar Kore hospital and MRC, Belagavi
Assistant Professor (General Medicine), J.N. medical college, Belagavi