Some types of weather changes in New York can cause those suffering from arthritis to notice increasing pain. Statistics indicate that 70 percent of older adults suffer from osteoarthritis, a form of joint damage caused mostly by wear and tear. However, other types of arthritis can closely mirror OA, which makes it important to pay careful attention to ongoing arthritis symptoms. Psoriatic arthritis affects approximately 1 percent of all individuals, but it can be difficult to detect.
Some of the similarities in psoriatic arthritis and OA include swelling of small joints, bone spurs, and pain. However, the swelling in PsA can result in deformity. Psoriatic patients often deal with psoriasis as well as inflammation of the joints in the axial spine, which is also known as spondylitis. The feet can be severely affected in PsA as well, causing severe pain in walking. The disease can be cyclical, causing periods of severe pain, inflammation, and deformity. As a cycle ends, these issues can decrease.
Anti-inflammatory medications may be prescribed for either type of arthritis, but OA might not respond as well to these medications because the condition is not always caused by inflammation. In PsA, anti-inflammatories could have positive results for a period of time, but stronger medications might be needed to interrupt the inflammation process in a severe flare of pain and joint damage.
An individual might wonder if medical errors have affected their potential for recovery from an inflammatory arthritis. In a hypothetical case involving a patient facing numerous surgical procedures to repair damaged joints related to arthritis in a short period of time, medical processes might be suspect. Such an individual might consider medical malpractice litigation if they can show that a provider has been negligent in treating their conditions.
