Diseases of the musculoskeletal system are fraught with a sharp decrease in human functionality. Among the serious diseases that can lead to disability are joint diseases. October 12 according to the medical calendar is the International Day of Struggle against Arthritis. Its purpose is to draw public attention to the problem, to raise the level of public awareness. Its purpose is to tell about rheumatic diseases, methods of preventing them, methods of rehabilitation. Its purpose is to unite doctors, patients, people unfamiliar with this disease. Its purpose is to convince of the benefits of prevention and early diagnosis.
Our interlocutor is Associate Professor of the Department of Traumatology and Orthopedics of KSMU, Candidate of Medical Sciences Alexander LEBEDEV:
– Joint lesions can be divided into two large groups: inflammatory and degenerative. Inflammatory ones are exactly arthritis. Degenerative or dystrophic changes in the joints of a non-inflammatory nature are called arthrosis.
Often, arthritis and arthrosis become stages of the same process: inflammation can lead to cartilage damage, and cartilage wear can cause inflammation. The symptoms of the diseases are similar – pain and swelling of the joints, limited movement.
Approximately 10-12 percent of the adult population of the planet have such a diagnosis. In the Kursk region, about 70 thousand people have arthritis and arthrosis, mostly elderly people. But the disease tends to rejuvenate – recently, people under 40 are increasingly among patients. Most women are sick. Even children are susceptible to a disease called Juvenile rheumatoid arthritis.
Arthritis is an autoimmune disease, the causes of its occurrence (pathogenesis) have not been fully identified. But the concomitant factors that aggravate the course of the disease are well known. In the first place among them is overweight. The joint wears out and becomes unusable the faster the greater the load is on it.
A healthy lifestyle to this day remains the best prevention of the development of arthritis. It includes a balanced diet with a restriction of meat dishes, the refusal of smoking and alcohol, the priority of plant foods. Hypothermia should be avoided and hygiene should be observed. For people with a tendency to joint disease, as well as professional athletes, I recommend regular medical examination with radiographic control. I do not advise you to carry extreme weights on yourself – these are the doctor’s recommendations.
– The coronavirus pandemic has made serious changes in our lives – continues A.Y. Lebedev. – People, especially the elderly, lead a sedentary lifestyle. But with the onset of the summer season, they overload themselves with agricultural work. It is this season that accounts for the majority of visits to orthopedists or rheumatologists, the load should be moderately dosed. Take care of your joints, because this is the key to a long active life!