Autoimmune Arthritis/Illnesses

    Autoimmune Illnesses, Diseases, Syndromes & Their Meanings

I will be adding to this page to help give more information about Autoimmune Arthritic Diseases as well as other Autoimmune Illnesses.

Autoimmune Arthritic Illnesses

•  Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a form of arthritis that causes pain, swelling, stiffness and loss of function in your joints. It can affect any joint but is common in the wrist and fingers. You might have the disease for only a short time, or symptoms might come and go. The severe form can last a lifetime. Rheumatoid arthritis is different from osteoarthritis, the common arthritis that often comes with older age. RA can affect body parts besides joints, such as your eyes, mouth and lungs.
  No one knows what causes rheumatoid arthritis. Genes, environment and hormones might contribute. Treatments include medicine, lifestyle changes and surgery.     Source: NIH.gov
•  Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE) - Lupus - Lupus is a chronic (long-term) disease that causes inflammation — pain and swelling. It can affect the skin, joints, kidneys, lungs, nervous system and other organs of the body. Most patients feel fatigue and have rashes, arthritis (painful and swollen joints) and fever. Lupus flares vary from mild to serious. Most patients have times when the disease is active, followed by times when the disease is mostly quiet — referred to as a remission.
•  Primary Sjogren's Syndrome (SS) is an inflammatory disease that can affect many different parts of the body, but most often affects the tear and saliva glands. Patients with this condition may notice irritation, a gritty feeling, or painful burning in the eyes. Dry mouth (or difficulty eating dry foods) and swelling of the glands around the face and neck are also common. Some patients experience dryness in the nasal passages, throat, vagina and skin. Swallowing difficulty and symptoms of acid reflux are also common.
•  Mixed Connective Tissue Disease (MCTD) -  has features of three other connective tissue diseases: (3 below in red makeup MCTD)
•      **Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) – An inflammatory disease that      can affect many different organs. Symptoms include fever, fatigue, joint pains, weakness, and skin rashes on the face, neck, and upper body.
•      **Scleroderma – Abnormal thickening and hardening of the skin, underlying tissue, and organs
•      **Polymyositis – Muscle inflammation (swelling)
•  Undifferentiated Connective Tissue Disease (UCTD)  The term undifferentiated connective tissue diseases is used to define conditions characterized by the presence of signs and symptoms suggestive of a systemic autoimmune disease that do not satisfy the classificative criteria for defined connective tissue diseases (CTD) such as systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), Sjögren's syndrome (SS), rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and others. A small percentage of patients presenting with an undifferentiated profile will develop during the first year follow up of a full blown CTD, however an average of 75% will maintain an undifferentiated clinical course. These patients may be defined as having a stable undifferentiated connective tissue diseases (UCTD). The most characteristic symptoms of UCTD are represented by arthritis and arthralgias, Raynaud's phenomenon, leukopenia, while neurological and kidney involvement are virtually absent. Eighty percent of these patients have a single autoantibody specificity, more frequently anti-Ro and anti-RNP antibodies. Stable UCTD are considered as distinct clinical entities and therefore it has been proposed to define those conditions as UCTD. Classificative criteria have also been proposed and a work to better define them is still under way.
  
•  Juvenile Arthritis (JA) - Considered the most common form of arthritis, juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) begins before age 16 and involves swelling in one or more joints lasting at least six weeks. JIA includes several types of arthritis previously known as JRA.
•  Still's Disease - Still’s disease is a form of arthritis that is characterized by high spiking fevers and evanescent (transient) salmon-colored rash (view pictures of the Still’s rash). Still’s disease was first described in children, but it is now known to occur, much less commonly, in adults (in whom it is referred to as Adult-onset Still’s disease, AOSD).
•  Psoriatic Arthritis (PsA) - can develop slowly with mild symptoms, or it can develop quickly and be severe. Early recognition, diagnosis and treatment of psoriatic arthritis can help prevent or limit extensive joint damage that occurs in later stages of the disease. Generally, one or more of the following symptoms appears: Generalized fatigue, Tenderness, pain and swelling over tendons, Swollen fingers and toes, Stiffness, pain, throbbing, swelling and tenderness in one or more joints, A reduced range of motion, Morning stiffness and tiredness, Nail changes—for example, the nail separates from the nail bed and/or becomes pitted and mimics fungus infections, Redness and pain of the eye, such as conjunctivitis

• Ankylosing spondylitis (AS) is an inflammatory disease that can cause some of the vertebrae in your spine to fuse together. This fusing makes the spine less flexible and can result in a hunched-forward posture. If ribs are affected, it may be difficult to breathe deeply. Ankylosing spondylitis affects men more often than women. Signs and symptoms typically begin in early adulthood. Inflammation also can occur in other parts of your body — most commonly, your eyes. There is no cure, but treatments can decrease your pain and lessen your symptoms.
 

•  Undifferentiated Spondyloarthropathy (USpA)

Other Autoimmune Illnesses/Syndromes/Diseases    (only a partial listing of the 100's)

• Raynaud's Phenomenon is a rare disorder that affects the arteries. Arteries are blood vessels that carry blood from your heart to different parts of your body. Raynaud's sometimes is called a disease, syndrome, or phenomenon. The disorder is marked by brief episodes of vasospasm (VA-so-spazm), which is a narrowing of the blood vessels.
  Vasospasm of the arteries reduces blood flow to the fingers and toes. In people who have Raynaud's, the disorder usually affects the fingers. In about 40 percent of people who have Raynaud's, it affects the toes. Rarely, the disorder affects the nose, ears, nipples, and lips.
• Addison's Disease
• Graves Disease
• Multiple Sclerosis (MS)
• Myasthenia Gravis
• Crohn's Disease
• Interstitial Cystitis
• Lichen Plantus
• Narcolepsy
• Pernicious Anemia
• Polymyositis 
• Temporal Arteritis
• Transverse Myelitis 
• Ulcerative Colitis
•  
• Vasculitis -  is a condition that involves inflammation in the blood vessels. The condition occurs if your immune system attacks your blood vessels by mistake. This may happen as the result of an infection, a medicine, or another disease or condition. Vasculitis can affect any of the body's blood vessels. These include arteries, veins, and capillaries. Arteries carry blood from your heart to your body's organs. Veins carry blood from your organs and limbs back to your heart. Capillaries connect the small arteries and veins.
• Vitiligo
• Wegener's granulomatosis   
• Rheumatic Fever
• Sarcoidosis
• Scleroderma 
• Polymyalgia rheumatica

For a more complete listing of other Autoimmune Diseases/Illnesses/Syndromes and/or Disorders you can do a "Google" search, or take a look at Listings at:

http://www.niams.nih.gov/HEALTH_INFO/Autoimmune/default.asp#2

http://www.immunesystemetc.com/auto_immune_list.html

http://www.aarda.org/autoimmune-information/list-of-diseases/

These are just 3 of the many sites that list the hundreds of Autoimmune Syndromes/Diseases/Illnesses and Disorders.

As the year progresses, I will be adding more information relative to all types of Autoimmune Issues. I will be adding a list of the different medications that are available and being used, such as DMARD'S, NSAIDS, Biologics, and more. There are many of the "older" standard medications that are still being used, such as Plaquenil and (MTX) Methotrexate. There are many older and brand new types of NSAIDS now on the market, that not only help with inflammatory issues, but are less apt to cause stomach problems, and can be a much greater help with the pain. There are the latest in biologics, from those you can "self-inject", to those that you take every so often usually in an outpatient setting called infusions.

It seems the "more" we know about these many autoimmune disorders, the most we are often puzzled by the MANY symptoms that they can cause. I shall also include a list of the "main" and various "odder" signs and symptoms of some of these.

I look forward to sharing a great deal more information on my blog with everyone throughout 2014 and in the years to come.

I want the "blog" to remain something that you can come to and see that the "journey" that I have often is somewhat similar to your own, or a loved ones. But, I also want to try and help to bring you "information" that can help you further do some self-education.

Please feel free to comment on any of my posts, pages, and listings of information. This is as much "your blog" as it is my own.

Rhia