Myositis is the medical term for inflammation of muscle tissue, and one type of muscle arthritis is dermatomyositis. (Without a rash, the condition is called polymyositis.) There is soreness, inflammation and muscle pain in this form, but there is also a dry rash on the skin. This rash is usually seen on the face and neck, chest, back and shoulders. The heart muscle can also be affected, as well as lung tissue. It is usually twilight and purple-red color. It is an autoimmune condition and is treated with anti-inflammatory drugs, including stereoids.
Another disease that can be considered muscular arthritis is fibromyalgia. Along with muscle pain and pain, fibromyalgia can cause pain in the joints and other connective tissues such as tendons and ligaments, as well as fatigue, depression, headache, anxiety, sleep problems and numbness in the limbs. In order to have this diagnosis, the symptoms must last at least three months, and at least 11 of the 18 trigger points associated with FM must be tender to the touch.
Until recently, FM treatment was just a medicine aimed at alleviating pain and the specifics of other symptoms, but now medications specifically designed for fibromyalgia have entered the market and can be prescribed. About 2% of the population has symptoms of FM.
Another muscle arthritis is a systematic disease called lupus. The joints are usually affected, but some patients with lupus also have muscle pain and pain associated with the condition. Lustrus is treated with corticosteroids and other immune system modifiers. Symptoms of lupus can include a butterfly-shaped rash on the face, fever, fatigue, multiple arthritis and many other symptoms. Working with blood can help in making a diagnosis. Lupus is also an autoimmune disease, and the cause is not known. This is about ten times more common in men than in women.
Finally, there is rheumatic polymyalgia. The symptoms of rheumatism with polymyalgia are moderate or severe muscular pain, and the location is almost always in or near the neck, shoulders, and thighs, and can occur very suddenly. In each case, a person with rheumatism with polymyalgia will experience an abnormally high level of sedimentation of red blood cells. This disease is often associated with a serious vascular disease called polyarteritis or sometimes a giant cell arteritis that inflames the blood vessels. However, rapid treatment usually controls both the condition and only polymalgium rheumatism.
A corticosteroid, similar to prednisone, is usually administered and causes remission, which can last for a while. If the condition recurs, the drug is restored and can control the symptoms. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs are also used. The disease can also disappear on its own, but it can take a year or more.
One of the latest forms of muscular arthritis is a side effect of drugs given to lower cholesterol, called lipid-reducing drugs or statins. Although it is not common, this condition, called rhabdomyolysis, can have serious consequences, including damage to the kidneys and heart. Individuals taking statins should report any unusual muscle pain and pain to doctors immediately.
Although muscular arthritis can be painful and frightening, most of its forms respond well to treatment. The most important thing is to report the muscle pain to the doctor, find out the cause and then use the appropriate treatment methods depending on which condition is to blame.
