Various forms of arthritis and related conditions that affect the bones, joints, and muscles can bring about troubles, such as inflammation, stiffness, and tenderness in the fingers and wrist. Other conditions may cause additional problems, including lack of sensation, rough nails, sore ulcers, stinging sensation, and thickened skin that makes bending the fingers hard.
Here are some potential disease-related complications that distress the hands and wrists:
Carpal tunnel syndrome – this is a condition wherein the median nerve, a nerve that runs from the forearm into the hand and supplies sensation to the palm and thumb side of the hand, becomes compressed within the carpal tunnel in the wrist. The carpal tunnel is a narrow passageway formed by bones and a ligament, through which the median nerve and several tendons run. If there is swelling within the tunnel, the nerve can become compressed, resulting in numbness, pain, and weakness in the hand and wrist, radiating up the arm.
Gout – this is a type of arthritis that occurs when excess uric acid, a bodily waste product flowing in the bloodstream, is kept as needle-shaped monosodium urate crystals in tissues of the body, like the joints. For several people, the first symptom of gout is excruciating pain and swelling in the big toe, frequently subsequent to a trauma, like an illness or injury. Succeeding attacks may occur in other joints, such as the joints of the fingers and the wrist. After years with this malady, lumps of uric acid, called tophi, can form below the skin of the hands.
Juvenile arthritis – this is a type of arthritis that starts before the age of 16. There are several kinds of juvenile arthritis that can cause inflammation and pain in the joints of the hands and the wrist.
Lupus – this is a chronic autoimmune disease, which means that the body’s immune system builds antibodies that bother healthy tissues, like the joints. The small joints of the hands and the wrist are amongst those most frequently affected by lupus. Lupus can also cause inflammation in numerous organs, such as the heart, kidneys, lungs, and skin.
Osteoarthritis – this is the most conventional form of arthritis. It is a persistent condition, wherein the cartilage that cushions the ends of the bones where they meet to form joints, breaks down. This disintegration causes the bones to rub against each other, causing loss of mobility, stiffness, and throbbing in the joint. In the hand, the joints most commonly impinged by osteoarthritis are the basal joint, distal phalangeal joint (DP), proximal interphalangeal joint (PIP), and the wrist. In the finger joints, osteoarthritis could cause the formation of bony knots.
Osteoporosis – this is a condition in which the bones lose enough mass that they become brittle and prone to breaking with slight trauma. The bones of the wrist are among those most commonly fractured in people with osteoporosis. The condition can occur with aging, inactivity, inflammatory disease, low-calcium diet, or the use of corticosteroid medications.
Psoriatic arthritis – this is a kind of arthritis that is accompanied by psoriasis. Psoriasis often occurs before the arthritis, although in a small percentage of patients, arthritis develops ahead of the skin disease. The joint involvement of psoriatic arthritis often causes redness of the entire finger, making it look like a sausage. Approximately 80 percent of patients with psoriatic arthritis endure changes to the nails including pitting, thickening, or separation from the nail bed. The skin rash of psoriatic arthritis can also affect the hands.
Reactive arthritis – this is a chronic type of arthritis that often occurs after an infection of the gastrointestinal, genital, or urinary system. Features of reactive arthritis include inflammation and soreness of the eyes, joints, and structures within the gastrointestinal or genitourinary tracts, which include the bladder, intestines, and kidneys. A small percentage of people with this disease come off with a form of skin irritation or hard nodules on the palms of their hands or soles of their feet.
Rheumatoid arthritis – this is a continuous inflammatory disease of the joints, which takes place when the body’s immune system that normally protects us from infection erroneously assaults the synovium, the thin membrane that lines the joints. The result can be swelling, soreness, pain, loss of function, joint injury, or disability. Rheumatoid arthritis commonly involves the wrist and finger joints and may cause deformities that make it difficult to utilize the hands.
Cheryl Weisz | 
10 24th, 2011| 
