Representative Image of a health worker.
Credit: Reuters
Commemorating World Arthritis Day on Thursday, the Karnataka Rheumatology Association (KRA) focused on creating awareness about rheumatological disorders, particularly inflammatory arthritis (IA), and why early diagnosis by specialists is crucial.
"Osteoarthritis is the most common type of arthritis and generally affects the elderly population. But there is very little awareness about inflammatory arthritis, which is not as common and especially affects women between the ages of 30-50," said Dr Vikramraj K Jain, Secretary, KRA.
Although there is no cure for this condition if diagnosed early, it can be treated with medication to avoid permanent deformities, he explained. "We want people to know that this is a treatable condition and that they can reach out to specialists called rheumatologists for diagnosis and treatment."
He explained that even patients, aged as young as five years, can have symptoms, such as joint pain, swelling, and morning stiffness of joints, which are the earliest features of inflammatory arthritis.
"If we suspect it could be inflammatory arthritis, we conduct a routine test and a special investigation for autoimmune diseases, including checking inflammatory parameters and conducting MRIs," he said.