Arthritis Terms

Many arthritis patients have a hard time understanding many of the terms used by medical professionals during consultations. Here are many definitions of many of the terms associated with Arthritis that you may encounter during a visit with a doctor or rheumatologist. Each term has a basic definition beside it. To find out more about any of the arthritis terms just click on the work and it will take you to a more detailed page.

Acute - When a doctor uses the term acute it means that the disease or condition developed suddenly.

ANA - ANA stands for anti-nuclear antibodies.

Anemia

Antibody - a protein produced in the blood which destroys bacteria, viruses and other substances that inter the body.

Antigen - A substance that when introduced into the body stimulates the production of an antibody. Antigens include toxins, bacteria, foreign blood cells, and the cells of transplanted organs.

Arthralgia

Arthritis

Articular cartilage

Autoantibody - Autoantibodies are a group of antibodies (immune proteins) that mistakenly target and damage specific tissues or organs of the body.

Autoimmune - referring to the development of an immune response to one's own tissues.

Autoimmune disease

Bouchard's Nodes - an abnormal swelling of a knuckle. It usually occurs in wasting diseases of the joints, as osteoarthritis.

Bursitis: Inflammation of the bursae, fluid-filled sacs that ease friction between tendons and bones (and tendons and ligaments), causing swelling and pain.

C-Reactive Protein

Calcification

Cartilage

Cartilaginous join

Chronic

Connective tissue:

cytokines

Dermatomyositis

diathermy

elastin: Stretchable protein found in connective tissue.

enzyme

Fatigue

Gout

Heberden's node

Immune

Immune system

inflammation

Iritis

ligament

lymphocyte

Lupus: A chronic inflammatory condition caused by an autoimmune disease. An autoimmune disease occurs when the body's tissues are attacked by its own immune system. Patients with lupus have unusual antibodies in their blood that are targeted against their own body tissues.

Metabolism

Osteoarthritis

Osteoporosis

Physical therapy

Prognosis

Pseudogout

psoriasis

Purpura

Raynaud disease:

Reactive arthritis

Rheumatoid arthritis : An autoimmune disease which causes chronic inflammation of the joints, the tissue around the joints, as well as other organs in the body. Autoimmune diseases occur when the body tissues are mistakenly attacked by its own immune system. The immune system is a complex organization of cells and antibodies designed normally to "seek and destroy" invaders of the body, particularly infections. Patients with these diseases have antibodies in their blood which target their own body tissues, where they can be associated with inflammation. Because it can affect multiple other organs of the body, rheumatoid arthritis is referred to as a systemic illness and is sometimes called rheumatoid disease. While rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic illness (meaning it can last for years) patients may experience long periods without symptoms

rheumatoid factor: An antibody found in about 85 percemt of people with rheumatoid arthritis; also appears in other diseases and sometimes in healthy people.

Rheumatologist:

Rheumatology

Sarcoidosis

scleroderma

Syndrome

synovial joint

synovitis

synovium

Systemic

Systemic lupus erythematosus : A chronic inflammatory condition caused by an autoimmune disease. An autoimmune disease occurs when the body's tissues are attacked by its own immune system. Patients with lupus have unusual antibodies in their blood that are targeted against their own body tissues.

tendonitis

Titer - Titer is a way of measuring antibodies in a persons blood.

Vasculitis:  A general term for a group of diseases that feature inflammation of the blood vessels. Each of these diseases is defined by characteristic distributions of blood vessel involvement, patterns of organ involvement, and laboratory test abnormalities. The causes of these vasculitis diseases are usually not known, but immune system abnormality is a common feature.