Tina Kunnath

 Rheumatoid arthritis, or RA, is an inflammatory disease primarily attacking multiple joints in the body causing joint pain, swelling and stiffness causing irreversible damage of the joints leading to poor quality of life.

 Lupus is a chronic (long-term) disease that can cause inflammation and pain in any part of your body. It’s an autoimmune disease, which means that your immune system — the body system that usually fights infections — attacks healthy tissue instead.

Lupus most commonly affects your: 

• Skin
• Joints
• Internal organs, like your kidneys and heart

Because lupus affects many parts of the body, it can cause a lot of different symptoms.

 Gout is commonly characterized by sudden onset severe pain, swelling and redness in the affected joints, frequently the big toe. It is caused by excess uric acid in the bloodstream. The symptoms often begin quite suddenly and if gout remains uncontrolled it can cause permanent joint damage and limit the normal movement of the affected joints, making everyday activities extremely painful. The definitive way to diagnose gout is to drain fluid from the affected joint and analyze it for uric acid crystals under a microscope. This is often not practical however if it is a small joint affected or multiple joints. In addition to medication, diet and lifestyle changes are very important in reducing the risk of recurrent gout.