Arthritis Q&A
October 12, 2001 | 12:00am
Q1: What is Osteoarthritis?
Compare the sole of a new pair of shoes and that of an old one. You will notice that the sole of the old shoes is thinner, unequal in thickness, partly eroded or may even have a hole.
When you eat chicken, you will notice that there is a soft, whitish substance known as cartilage at the end of the bone. And this cartilage resembles the sole of the shoes. Due to excessive usage, the cartilage has thinned out, ulcerated and is ultimately damaged. This is known as osteoarthritis.
Q2: What is Rheumatoid Arthritis?
Movable joints are covered by a very thin membrane called synovial membrane.
In rheumatoid arthritis, the synovial membrane proliferates, thickens and later erodes the cartilage and the adjacent bone. The thickened membrane is known as pannus. It makes the joints boggy in appearance and because of its invasiveness, deformities usually set in early.
The usual affected joints are the small joints of the hand but other joints of the skeletal system are likewise affected, including the cervical spine and cricoarythenoid joints that respond for the air entry to the lungs.
Rheumatoid arthritis is also associated with extraarticular manifestations. Thus, prompt diagnosis and treatment is warranted.
Q3: What is Gout? What is the Relationship of Uric Acid and Arthritis?
If you add one teaspoonful of sugar in a cup of coffee, the sugar dissolves rapidly. But when you add nine (9) more teaspoons of sugar, the sugar settles and crystallizes at the bottom of the cup.
In gouty arthritis, serum uric acid is the sugar and our body fluid is the coffee. If the serum uric acid of an individual is too high, the uric acid crystallizes with sodium and deposits into almost all parts of the body including kidneys and joints, and later trigger kidney disease and arthritis.
Uric acid is abundant in food such as internal organs, beans, nuts, and alcoholic beverages. Avoidance of such food decreases serum uric acid levels.
However, some patients are born with problems in the production of uric acid. Thus, no matter how strict they are with dietary restrictions, they likewise develop gout.
Dr. Perry P. Tan is a rheumatologist, founder and head of the Rayuma Klinik of Jose R. Reyes Memorial Medical Center (JRRMMC) and consultant at St. Luke’s Medical Center.
Compare the sole of a new pair of shoes and that of an old one. You will notice that the sole of the old shoes is thinner, unequal in thickness, partly eroded or may even have a hole.
When you eat chicken, you will notice that there is a soft, whitish substance known as cartilage at the end of the bone. And this cartilage resembles the sole of the shoes. Due to excessive usage, the cartilage has thinned out, ulcerated and is ultimately damaged. This is known as osteoarthritis.
Q2: What is Rheumatoid Arthritis?
Movable joints are covered by a very thin membrane called synovial membrane.
In rheumatoid arthritis, the synovial membrane proliferates, thickens and later erodes the cartilage and the adjacent bone. The thickened membrane is known as pannus. It makes the joints boggy in appearance and because of its invasiveness, deformities usually set in early.
The usual affected joints are the small joints of the hand but other joints of the skeletal system are likewise affected, including the cervical spine and cricoarythenoid joints that respond for the air entry to the lungs.
Rheumatoid arthritis is also associated with extraarticular manifestations. Thus, prompt diagnosis and treatment is warranted.
Q3: What is Gout? What is the Relationship of Uric Acid and Arthritis?
If you add one teaspoonful of sugar in a cup of coffee, the sugar dissolves rapidly. But when you add nine (9) more teaspoons of sugar, the sugar settles and crystallizes at the bottom of the cup.
In gouty arthritis, serum uric acid is the sugar and our body fluid is the coffee. If the serum uric acid of an individual is too high, the uric acid crystallizes with sodium and deposits into almost all parts of the body including kidneys and joints, and later trigger kidney disease and arthritis.
Uric acid is abundant in food such as internal organs, beans, nuts, and alcoholic beverages. Avoidance of such food decreases serum uric acid levels.
However, some patients are born with problems in the production of uric acid. Thus, no matter how strict they are with dietary restrictions, they likewise develop gout.
Dr. Perry P. Tan is a rheumatologist, founder and head of the Rayuma Klinik of Jose R. Reyes Memorial Medical Center (JRRMMC) and consultant at St. Luke’s Medical Center.
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