Top 5 Arthritis Symptoms (With Online Test)

Arthritis symptoms develop slowly and are related to joint inflammation, and can therefore appear in any joint and impair movement, such as walking or moving your hands, for example.

Although there are several types of arthritis, the symptoms are similar, despite having different causes, the main ones being pain and swelling in the joint, stiff movement and increased local temperature. Even if the symptoms are similar, it is important that the cause is identified so that the most appropriate treatment can be initiated, relieving symptoms and improving the person’s quality of life.

How to know if you have Arthritis

Arthritis symptoms usually appear in people over 40, although it can also occur in children. So, if you are experiencing discomfort in a joint, select the symptoms in the following test to check your risk of arthritis:

In some cases, arthritis can also cause less specific symptoms such as lack of appetite, which can cause weight loss, excessive tiredness and lack of energy.

Symptoms of each type of arthritis

In addition to the common symptoms of all types of arthritis, there are other more specific signs that can help the doctor reach a diagnosis, such as:

• Juvenile rheumatoid arthritiswhich is a rare type of arthritis that affects children up to 16 years of age and which, in addition to the common signs and symptoms of arthritis, can include daily fever for more than 2 weeks, the appearance of spots on the body, loss of appetite and inflammation of the eyes , for example;
• Psoriatic arthritiswhich normally appears in people with psoriasis and which can be characterized by the appearance of red, dry plaques at the site of the joints, in addition to difficulty and deformation thereof;
• Septic arthritiswhich occurs as a consequence of infections and, therefore, in addition to the symptoms of arthritis, signs and symptoms indicative of infection such as fever and chills, for example, can be noticed.

Furthermore, in cases of gouty arthritis, which is popularly called gout, the symptoms are intense and usually appear in less than 12 hours, improving after 3 to 10 days, and affecting the big toe joint, also known as the hallux.

What causes arthritis

Arthritis is caused by wear and tear on the cartilage of the joint, which causes the bones to become exposed and begin to rub against each other, causing pain and inflammation. Generally, this type of wear is caused by normal use of the joint and appears over the years, which is why arthritis is more common in the elderly.

However, wear can be accelerated by other factors such as infections, blows or even the immune system’s response. In these cases, arthritis takes on another name, being called rheumatoid when it is caused by the immune system, septic when it arises due to an infection or psoriatic when it arises due to a case of psoriasis, for example.

See more about the causes and treatment of arthritis.