Arthritis | MedlinePlus

Arthritis | MedlinePlus

MEDICAL ENCYCLOPEDIA

• Adult Still's disease
• Anterior knee pain
• Arthritis
• C-reactive protein
• ESR
• Joint fluid gram stain
• Joint x-ray
• Osteotomy of the knee
• Toxic synovitis

Related Health Topics

• Gout
• Infectious Arthritis
• Juvenile Arthritis
• Osteoarthritis
• Psoriatic Arthritis
• Rheumatoid Arthritis

National Institutes of Health

The primary NIH organization for research on Arthritis is the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases

Other Languages

Find health information in languages other than English on Arthritis

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Summary

If you feel pain and stiffness in your body or have trouble moving around, you might have arthritis. Most kinds of arthritis cause pain and swelling in your joints. Joints are places where two bones meet, such as your elbow or knee. Over time, a swollen joint can become severely damaged. Some kinds of arthritis can also cause problems in your organs, such as your eyes or skin.

Types of arthritis include

• Osteoarthritis is the most common type of arthritis. It's often related to aging or to an injury.
• Autoimmune arthritis happens when your body's immune system attacks healthy cells in your body by mistake. Rheumatoid arthritis is the most common form of this kind of arthritis.
• Juvenile arthritis is a type of arthritis that happens in children.
• Infectious arthritis is an infection that has spread from another part of the body to the joint.
• Psoriatic arthritis affects people with psoriasis.
• Gout is a painful type of arthritis that happens when too much uric acid builds up in the body. It often starts in the big toe.

NIH: National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases

Start Here

• Arthritis and Rheumatic Diseases  (National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases)
• Arthritis: Frequently Asked Questions (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)

Diagnosis and Tests

• Arthrography  (American College of Radiology, Radiological Society of North America)Also in Spanish
• Bone X-Ray (Radiography)  (American College of Radiology, Radiological Society of North America)Also in Spanish
• C-Reactive Protein (CRP) Test  (National Library of Medicine)Also in Spanish
• MRI of the Musculoskeletal System (American College of Radiology, Radiological Society of North America)Also in Spanish
• Synovial Fluid Analysis (American Association for Clinical Chemistry)

Treatments and Therapies

• Joint Injection/Aspiration (American College of Rheumatology)Also in Spanish
• Joint Replacement Surgery: Health Information Basics for You and Your Family  (National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases)Also in Spanish
• Pain Relievers: MedlinePlus Health Topic  (National Library of Medicine)Also in Spanish
• Painful Joints? Early Treatment for Rheumatoid Arthritis Is Key  (National Institutes of Health)Also in Spanish
• Topical Pain Medications (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)Also in Spanish

Living With

• Arthritis   (National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases)
• Arthritis Pain: Do's and Don'ts (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)Also in Spanish

Related Issues

• Employees with Arthritis (Office of Disability Employment Policy)
• Osteoporosis and Arthritis: Two Common but Different Conditions  (National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases)
• Sex and Arthritis (American College of Rheumatology)Also in Spanish

Specifics

• Adult Still's Disease (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)
• Arthritis of the Hand (American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, American Society for Surgery of the Hand)
• Arthritis of the Shoulder (American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons)Also in Spanish
• Arthritis of the Thumb (American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons)
• Arthritis of the Wrist (American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons)
• Enteropathic Arthritis (Spondylitis Association of America)
• Inflammatory Arthritis of the Hip (American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons)
• MP Joint Arthritis (American Society for Surgery of the Hand)
• Thumb Arthritis (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)Also in Spanish

Genetics

• Genetics and Rheumatic Disease (American College of Rheumatology)Also in Spanish
• Genetics Home Reference: Blau syndrome  (National Library of Medicine)

Statistics and Research

• Arthritis by the Numbers: Book of Trusted Facts & Figures (Arthritis Foundation) - PDF
• Arthritis in America (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)Also in Spanish
• Arthritis: Data and Statistics (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
• FastStats: Arthritis (National Center for Health Statistics)

Clinical Trials

• ClinicalTrials.gov: Arthritis  (National Institutes of Health)

Journal ArticlesReferences and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)

• Article: Outcomes Following Total Ankle Arthroplasty: A Review of the Registry Data... 
• Article: Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis for the Pediatric Orthopedic Surgeon. 
• Article: Increased risk of ankylosing spondylitis after Mycoplasma pneumonia: A Nationwide population-based... 
• Arthritis -- see more articles 

Reference Desk

• Arthritis Glossary (Arthritis Foundation) - PDF

Find an Expert

• Arthritis Foundation: Local Office Directory (Arthritis Foundation)
• Find a Rheumatologist (American College of Rheumatology)
• National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases Also in Spanish

Older Adults

• Feeling Out of Joint: The Aches of Arthritis  (National Institutes of Health)Also in Spanish

Patient Handouts

• Arthritis (Medical Encyclopedia)Also in Spanish
• Osteotomy of the knee (Medical Encyclopedia)Also in Spanish