Arthropathy - what is it? Symptoms and treatment of the disease

Arthropathy combines a group of pathologies with different mechanisms of development and causes. Most often suffer from this ailment is knee joints. Therapeutic measures are primarily aimed at eliminating the provoking factor of the disease.

Arthropathy - what is it?

This pathology is a secondary trophic change in the joint. As a rule, it occurs against the background of a recently transferred infectious disease. Arthropathy is characterized by certain symptoms, so doctors quickly recognize it and prescribe effective therapy. This ailment appears in stages or suddenly. In addition, it can be accompanied by unexpected exacerbations and remissions. In medical terminology, the described disease is still known as reactive arthropathy. What is this, we will consider in more detail below.

Quite often pathology is accompanied by Sheyerman's disease. It should be noted that the development of reactive arthritis can be destroyed from 2 to 5 joints, and sometimes more. This disease is almost the same in both adults and children. Although most often knee joint changes occur in men 20-40 years of age, leading a disorderly lifestyle and constantly changing sexual partners, especially HIV-infected.

Classification of arthropathy

The defeat of knee joints in the development of this disease is divided into certain types:

• Dystrophic arthropathy. It may occur if there is a violation of cartilage supply. In general, the disease occurs in the elderly due to general degenerative and dystrophic changes in the body.
• Reactive arthritis. With this pathology, the patient feels pain in the knee. The basis of its development mechanism is the reaction of tissues and cartilage to various systemic diseases: endocrine disorders, oncology, leukemia, polyneuropathy or syringomyelia.
• Pyrophosphate arthropathy. During it, the metabolism of calcium salts in the body is disturbed, which causes a precipitate to settle onto the cartilage surface. This process occurs due to hypocalcemia, chronic infections, or previous knee injuries.
• Hereditary arthropathy. The disease is transmitted genetically, and can manifest itself in childhood.
• Diabetic arthropathy. Developed pathology as a result of complications of diabetes. It worsens the patient's ability to work, and often causes disability.
• Idiopathic arthropathy. This group included the disease of the knee joints, in which the provoking factor could not be identified.
• Psoriatic arthropathy. This inflammatory pathology of joints of a chronic nature is usually associated with psoriasis. But not all people with this diagnosis develop psoriatic arthritis.

The main causes of trophic joint changes

Arthropathy - what is it? A similar question now arises in many people. This disease is referred to the group of autoimmune lesions of joints, in other words, it is close in origin to the diseases of the immune system. The essence of such pathologies is that after getting a bacterial infection into the body, the immune system begins to "go crazy", attacking its own tissues.

A predisposing factor to arthropathy is considered to be some genetic malfunction. If a person has a certain type of histocompatibility gene, then the probability of occurrence of the described ailment increases many times.

There are other causes of the disease. For example, most often arthropathy of joints develops due to infection with chlamydia. And this disease appears most often in men. In addition, various pathologies of the respiratory tract can lead to the development of lesions of tissues and joints: bronchitis, laryngitis, tracheitis, and others.

Often the cause of arthropathy are intestinal infections, especially dysentery and similar ailments. To defeat joints sometimes results in an unsuccessful vaccination or treatment with immunological drugs based on antibodies.

Signs of the disease

Arthropathy, the symptoms of which are capable of increasing in a matter of hours or days, has an acute onset and development. In this case, deformation of the knee joint occurs, in addition, as a rule, there is a discharge of fluid into the surrounding tissue structures and into the joint's own cavity. Edema appears not only because of the increase in the volume of the knee, but also as a result of the growth of the ends of the bones.

It should be mentioned, speaking of the diagnosis of "arthropathy", that this is a disease that can eventually lead to the destruction of cartilaginous or bone tissue. But, despite the mentioned changes, strong pain sensations, as with the rest pathologies of the knee joints, are not observed. While in some cases on the X-ray, even fragments of cartilage and bones in the joint bag are visible.

In the affected joint, the volume of motion is initially limited, but in the future, with severe destruction, dislocations are not excluded. That is why it is so important to begin timely treatment, otherwise the knee may stop performing its function, leading to disability.

Sometimes, with such a disease, the body temperature rises in patients, and when the joint is felt, painful sensations of different intensity appear, depending on the stage of pathology. The skin in the affected area becomes hot to the touch.

The described ailment can occur in mild, moderate or severe forms. In the first case, the patient practically does not suffer from knee restraint, he easily moves and pains only at high loads. At heavier degrees, the joint stiffness increases, and in advanced cases the leg may become completely uncontrollable.

Pediatric arthropathy of the knee joint - what is it?

Arthropathy, unfortunately, does not have a certain age, it occurs as often in small patients, as in adults. However, the reasons for its occurrence are slightly different. In many cases, the change in the joint in children occurs due to certain ailments:

• Allergic pathologies, especially because of the intake of medicines;
• Tick-borne borreliosis or brucellosis;
• Viral infections - parotitis, rubella or chickenpox;
• Neuro-arthritic diathesis, which occurs in children with increased nervous excitability and disturbed metabolism;
• Diseases of blood vessels.

According to statistics, most arthropathy of joints appears in small patients aged 10 years and older. The disease in them proceeds almost painlessly, which makes diagnosis difficult. As a rule, if the joints are damaged, the child's temperature rises and the general state of health worsens, the knee worries only when moving and, as a rule, passes alone at rest.

The danger of arthropathy in children is also in the fact that it can quickly deform and destroy the joint that has not yet formed to the end. In addition, in young patients there is a special form of joint disease - juvenile rheumatoid arthropathy. This disease occurs only up to 16 years. With this ailment, the following symptoms are typical: rashes on the skin, lesions of the lymph nodes, leukemia and high fever. The reason for the appearance of this pathology is still unknown.

In some cases, this kind of arthritis in children passes on its own, and in others the recovery comes only after 6-9 months of treatment.

Diagnostic measures

To make an accurate diagnosis, the history of the disease is of great importance. It is important to find out the nature and time of the onset of pain, the presence of lesions in the anamnesis, as well as the concomitant somatic pathologies, for example gout, diabetes mellitus or rheumatoid arthritis. Moreover, the specialist will need information about surgical interventions, available infections and general symptoms.

The physician will determine by the help of physical diagnostics the presence of a crunchy sound, local pain in the region of the knee joint, possible amplitude of movements, swelling or swelling in it. In addition, a specialist can perform functional tests to identify possible instability.

The patient will then have to undergo laboratory tests. To detect the inflammatory process, it is enough to take a blood test. Biochemical examination will help to identify metabolic disorders. And to determine whether the body has specific antibodies to its own tissues or infections, they give enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays.

Radiography is done to identify osteophytes, subluxations, enlargement of joints, thinning of cartilaginous tissue. Still resort to a computer tomography and a magnetic resonance diagnostics. If there is a suspicion of differentiation of stress fractures or oncology, then a bone scan is performed using radioisotopes.

Therapeutic measures

Arthropathy, the treatment of which involves the taking of different medications, the passage of physiotherapy procedures and local therapy, requires the patient a lot of patience and strict adherence to the instructions of the specialist. When choosing the tactics of treatment, his individual approach to each patient is mandatory.

To treat arthropathy begin with medications aimed at eliminating inflammation and chlamydial infection, which could provoke the appearance of pathology. People with this diagnosis are prescribed non-steroid drugs to reduce pain and inflammation in the joint. The most common among these medications are Ibuprofen, Diclofenac, Piroxicam and Naklofen. But long uncontrolled use of these drugs can lead to the appearance of gastropathy.

If in the treatment of arthropathy, non-steroid drugs do not help, then it is better to switch to glucocorticoid drugs. The most effective in this case are "Methylprednisolone" or "Prednisolone." And to avoid ulcers, dyspepsia and erosions associated with taking non-steroidal medications, you must take "Misoprostol" or "Famotidine."

When antibiotic therapy is used drugs from the group of fluoroquinols and macrolides, as well as from the tetracycline series: "Minocycline", "Spiramycin", "Ofloxacin" and others. The duration of treatment is at least a month. But to completely get rid of chlamydia, in addition to antibiotics, it is recommended to take medicines aimed at restoring the intestinal microflora: Acipol, Lactobacterin, Linex or Bifiform.

If necessary, spend and puncture the patient's joint to enter the glucocorticoid means and remove the exudate. People who suffer from reactive arthropathy of the ankle and knee joints are usually appointed for this purpose by "DiPisan".

For local therapy use of applications of dimethyl sulfoxide, as well as anti-inflammatory creams and ointments: Dolgit, Fastum gel, Diclofenac. Emerging on the mucous membranes and skin integument pathological changes, as a rule, special treatment does not require.

Physiotherapy for joint damage

If the pathology has passed to a subacute stage, then the main therapy is supplemented with physical exercises, massage and various procedures. The most effective in this situation are:

• Electrophoresis;
• Paraffin applications;
• Laser therapy;
• Magnetotherapy;
• Ultraviolet irradiation.

Dispensary supervision

Patients who have suffered arthropathy are regularly observed by a rheumatologist or therapist for six months. In addition, they have to undergo clinical and laboratory monitoring every 60 days. The prognosis for reactive arthritis is in many cases quite favorable and optimistic.

The duration of the disease is usually about 3 months, but in some patients it can go on into a chronic form with characteristic clinical manifestations of damage to the mucous membranes, eyes, joints and skin.

How to avoid arthropathy

It is necessary to begin prophylaxis of the described pathology since childhood. To prevent the emergence of reactive arthritis, the child should be treated in a timely manner all infectious diseases, you can not start the processes on their own. And it should be done strictly under the supervision of a doctor until full recovery.

In the place of residence it is important to ensure the normal circulation of air and humidity, and also to keep clean. Do not forget about personal hygiene. Pets should also constantly bathe, using special shampoos.

If there is a first suspicion of arthropathy, contact your doctor immediately. Only after a comprehensive examination is an accurate diagnosis and effective treatment is prescribed. If the fears are confirmed, then it is necessary to observe the rheumatologist and strictly follow all his recommendations.