Arthritis
Arthritis is any of more than 100 different diseases causing pain, stiffness, and in most cases, swelling in the joints. According to the National Arthritis Foundation, arthritis is the number one cause of physical disability, affecting nearly 43 million Americans— 16 percent of the population of the United States. Arthritis affects people of both sexes and of all races, socioeconomic levels, and geographic areas. Although most forms of arthritis are more common in adults, about 300,000 children in the United States suffer from some type of arthritis-related disease1. There are many different kinds of arthritis. Among the most common forms encountered are osteoarthritis, and rheumatoid arthritis. Rhuemetoid arthritis is an autoimmune disease of unknown etiology characterized by symmetric inflammation of joints, especially the hands, feet, and knees. ... Treatment may focus on eliminating the underlying cause of the arthritis. ... A few arthritis-related disorders can be completely cured with treatment. ... Chronic arthritis frequently goes in and out of remission2. The dental management of patients with arthritis will vary depending on wich joints are involved. ... This patient presented with arthritis in his right shoulder, it has been bothering him for the last couple of years his doctor diagnosed his condition. The patient did not know what type of arthritis he had. ... Based on these signs and symptoms I suspect the type of arthritis this patient has is osteoarthritis. ... The patient said that on very rare occasions he takes aspirin for his arthritis, but usually it does not bother him to the point he needs to take anything for it. ... When questioned about this he explained he had taken some expired pain medication to alleviate the arthritis pain in his shoulder, he woke up in the middle of the night and was having trouble breathing because his tongue had swollen up.