Sunday, May 20th is World Autoimmune Arthritis Day!
The global awareness day is aimed at raising money, consciousness, and solidarity for the millions of people who suffer from one of many arthritic diseases.
Since there are several types of arthritic diseases, let’s learn a little about some different variations:
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Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) – a chronic inflammatory disorder affecting many joints, including those in the hands and feet.
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Psoriatic Arthritis (PsA) – a type of inflammatory arthritis that occurs in some patients with psoriasis; it can affect any joint in the body and can lead to the development of red patches of skin topped with silvery scales
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Ankylosing Spondylitis (AS) – a member of a group of diseases called spondyloarthropathies, which causes chronic inflammation in the spine, which can spread to the hips, shoulders, and sometimes the knees
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Primary Sjogren’s Syndrome (SS) – an immune system disorder affecting mucous membranes and moisture-secreting glands, causing dry eyes and mouth.
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Systemic Lupus Erythematosis (SLE) – the most common type of lupus, a systemic autoimmune disease that occurs when the body’s immune system attacks its own tissues and organs.
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Still’s Disease – an inflammatory arthritis that features fevers, rash and joint pain.
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Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis (JIA) – a group of arthritis conditions of unknown origin, affecting children.
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Mixed Connective Tissue Disease (MCTD) – a rare systemic inflammatory rheumatic disease that has the signs and symptoms of a combination of disorders: lupus, scleroderma, and polymyositis.
Since 2014 the International Foundation for Autoimmune & Autoinflammatory Arthritis (IFAA) has organized and sponsored a virtual “auto” race around the world via social media platforms Facebook and Twitter, with dozens of nonprofit organizations globally participating as the Race Teams.
To learn more about this cool awareness event, click here!
Furthermore, it’s important to be on the lookout for symptoms that are commonly associated with arthritic diseases. Overlapping symptoms often include: debilitating fatigue, fevers, severe and prolonged stiffness after rest, brain fog (“mental cloudiness”), and joint pain.
