Arthritis is characterized by a pain, swelling and stiffness in the affected joint. The Arthritis Foundation reports that about 46 million people, nearly 1 in 5 adults, in the U.S. were affected by at least one form of arthritis as of 2006. Behind heart disease, arthritis remains the second-leading cause of work disability and inhibits the daily activities of more than 7 million Americans. There are a few different types of arthritis that affect the fingers, which differ by cause.
Rheumatoid Arthritis
Rheumatoid arthritis affects the joints of the fingers. While the exact cause of rheumatoid arthritis remains unknown, the immune system plays a role by attacking the tissue of the joints, according to the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases. Similar to other forms of arthritis, the symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis include swelling, pain and stiffness. Ongoing inflammation can cause degeneration of the finger joints. This type of arthritis proves difficult to diagnose because no straightforward test for its detection exists, and the symptoms vary from person-to-person. Medicine can help control the inflammation, reduce pain and help people to maintain an active lifestyle. Despite medicine, people with rheumatoid arthritis often have periods of more severe pain, swelling and stiffness and periods where these signs and symptoms ease up and may disappear completely. However, severe rheumatoid arthritis may last for years or even over one's lifetime.
Infectious Arthritis
Infectious arthritis affects the finger joints and results from an infection, according to Merck Manuals. Often, the infectious agent is a bacterium, but a fungus or virus can also cause infectious arthritis. The infectious agent travels through the blood stream and infects the joint, causing the characteristic pain, swelling and stiffness of arthritis. This type of arthritis is also often associated with a fever, caused by the infection. Diagnosis is determined by analysis of a sample of joint fluid for the detection of bacterium, fungus or virus type and antibiotic susceptibility. Physicians administer the appropriate antibiotics to treat the infection, often intravenously at first to make sure the antibiotics reach the infected joints. If an excess of infectious fluid called pus collects in the finger joint, the doctor may drain the fluid to reduce swelling, and thus pain and stiffness.
Osteoarthritis
Osteoarthritis remains the most common form of arthritis, according to the Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, affection approximately 20 million people in the U.S. alone. Osteoarthritis is characterized by the breakdown of cartilage, the connective tissue that lines the joints between bones. Without the cushioning provided by the cartilage, the bones rub against each other causing the pain, swelling and stiffness of arthritis. If osteoarthritis affects one joint in the finger, it may also cause the other joints of the fingers to become swollen, stiff and painful as well. Over the long term, the pain may lessen, leaving hard bony knobs on the finger joints.
