Diagnosing Osteoarthritis
November 24, 2008
One of the most common diseases that affect people all over the world today is Osteoarthritis. The greater proportion of those who suffer from this disease are women in their middle ages. This is the disease which affects the joints in various parts of the body. It is the wearing out of the cartilage tissues around the joints. Osteoarthritis can be considered as hereditary because if any of your parents or grand parents suffered from it, you are likely to develop it in the future.
Signs and symptoms
The disease is characterized by pains in the joints and bones. Early diagnosis is necessary for good management of the disease. If you feel pain in the joints, then it is advisable to visit your doctor for check up.
Diagnosis
Methods of diagnosis
Mostly diagnosing osteoarthritis has been done using traditional methods. Things like consulting the patient’s history, physical examination, and imaging methods like X-rays, MRI scans and ultrasounds are done during the process of diagnosing osteoarthritis. Blood tests are not very conclusive in the diagnosis of osteoarthritis.
Procedure
The doctor first finds out if the patient has been experiencing pain and stiffness in the joints especially early in the morning. The doctor must also determine if the patient is able to walk freely with the pain. In addition he must also find out if there is accumulation of water in the joints of the knees and also if the areas around are tender when touched.
Then imaging tests can be done. X-rays will show the extent to which the bones are affected and the amount of bone content that has been lost. It also shows whether there are formations of bone spurs. Those who don’t show any of the external symptoms can be diagnosed for osteoarthritis by the use of X-rays.
Magnetic Resonance Tests (MRIs) can be used to diagnose osteoarthritis in the early stages of its development. This is because MRIs are extremely sensitive. This helps because treatment can be started early to prevent rapid worsening of the disease. Ultrasound can help detect the effusion of water in the knees.
There is however a non-invasive imaging developed recently by researchers in the Universities of Tel Aviv and New York, which is currently being explored.
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