NetDoctor Book series

Arthritis

Chapter 1 : What is arthritis?

	Definitions
	Synovial joints
	Cartilage
	General causes of arthritis

Chapter 2 : The causes of arthritis

	HLA genes
	Osteoarthritis and genes
	Risk factors
	Protective factors

Chapter 3 : Symptoms of arthritis

	Pain
	Stiffness
	Swelling
	Problems caused by arthritis

Chapter 4 : Diagnosing arthritis

	Clinical assessment
	Blood tests
	X-rays
	Synovial fluid
	Diagnosis in practice

Chapter 5 : Osteoarthritis

	Assessing osteoarthritis treatment
	Placebo effect
	Painkillers
	‘Alternative’ painkillers
	Glucosamine and chondroitin
	Herbal medicines
	Other treatments
	Physiotherapy
	Joint fluid removal and injections
	Surgery

Chapter 6 : Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs)

	Steroids and non-steroids
	Actions of NSAIDs
	Minimising side effects from NSAIDs
	New NSAIDs

Chapter 7 : Rheumatoid arthritis

	What is rheumatoid arthritis?
	Features of rheumatoid arthritis
	How common is rheumatoid arthritis?
	Causes of rheumatoid arthritis
	Diagnosis
	Tests
	Assessment of function
	Aims of treatment
	Non-drug treatment
	Drug treatment
	Disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARDs)
	Use of DMARDs

Chapter 8: Other inflammatory joint diseases

	Ankylosing spondylitis
	Reiter’s syndrome
	Psoriatic arthritis

Chapter 9: Connective tissue diseases

	Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE)
	Antiphospholipid syndrome (Hughes’ syndrome)
	Polymyalgia rheumatica
	Giant cell arteritis

Chapter 10: Gout and pseudogout

	Types of gout
	Symptoms
	Diagnosis
	Treatment and prevention
	Gout and heart disease
	Pseudogout

Chapter 11: Osteoporosis

	Bone structure
	Scale of the problem
	Definitions
	Causes of osteoporosis
	Diagnosing osteoporosis
	Prevention and treatment
	Osteoporosis and men

Chapter 12: Osteoporosis

	Acute back pain
	Sciatica
	Warning signs
	Chronic back pain