Treating Arthritis: Is it All the Same? (Essay Sample)

NURSING:
Treating arthritis: is it all the same?
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Arthritis is an inflammation of a joint. This irritation causes reddishness, warmness, enlargement, and soreness within the joint. Rheumatoid arthritis is an unending growing disease basing irritation in the joints and resulting in painful abnormality and inability to move, especially in the fingers, wrists, feet, and ankles. It occurs when one's immune system mistakenly attacks one's own body's tissues, causing joint problems. Although arthritis can occur at any age, it usually is common to happen after the age of 40; it is a much common occurrence in women. And Osteoarthritis is the most common type of arthritis; this is a joint disease that mostly affects the cartilage. Cartilage is the slimy tissue that covers the ends of bones in a joint. Vigorous cartilage allocates bones to move efficiently over each other; it also aids take in shock of movement. In osteoarthritis, the crown coating of cartilage breaks down and wears away. It allows bones under the cartilage to stroke jointly. This friction causes pain, swelling, and loss of movement of the joint. Over time, the joint may lose its regular figure; also, bone incites may grow on the boundaries of the joint. Bits of bone or cartilage break off and float in the joint space, which causes more pain and damage. This one is mostly linked to accidental or inflicted injuries and can lead to disability if not taken care of. For example, an individual either when was growing up as a child, falls and breaks a bone or gets a fracture and doesn't get medical treatment or the treatment they get is not effective with time osteoarthritis develops. With the age group most affected being persons of 50 – 60 years with a majority being women.
For an individual to know that they have either of the two arthritis. A health history is conducted to determine the individual's state of wellness or illness the signs and symptoms of rheumatoid are evidence of joint pain; swelling, joints may be hot and painful. Also one experiences stiffness, deformities, fever, weight loss, fatigue, anemia, sensory changes and some lymph node enlargement. For osteoarthritis signs and symptoms are; joint pain, tenderness, stiffness, loss of joint space, bony cysts, sclerosis.
When considering nursing care and treatment trust and connection with the patient plays an important part in optimizing care (Day & Stannard, 1999). Policies a nurse should regard to this situation consist of: being open to the patient, giving all details associated with nursing procedures and diagnoses, corresponding with the family and physician the patient's requests for information. In Rheumatoid arthritis usually is controlled by medications that can reduce irritation in the joints to relieve pain and prevent joint damage. Physical therapy teaches one that has rheumatoid how to protect their joints. Drugs that can be used in treating this kind of arthritis are; NSAIDs (Nonsteroidal anti – inflammatory drugs) which relieve pain and reduce inflammation, Steroids, Corticosteroid medications which slow joint damage, pain and reduce inflammation, Disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs) which slows the progression of rheumatoid arthritis thus saving these joints and other tissues from permanent damage.
Alongside the medications one is usually advised to practice self-care measures to help manage rheumatoid, and they include; Exercising regularly, to help strengthen the muscles around one's joints, Applying heat or cold this helps ease one's pain thus relaxing and reducing fatigue, improve body image and coping skills and monitor and manage potential complications. While nursing care and treatment in Osteoarthritis medications include; Acetaminophen which only relieves pain and NSAIDs (Nonsteroidal anti – inflammatory drugs) which relieve pain and reduce inflammation, Exercise, analgesia, weight management and Intra â...