Infective Causes of Arthralgia

Joint pains or arthralgia is caused by predominantly two factors, rheumatoid arthralgia or osteoarthritis causing the arthralgia.  Rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune disorder in which the disease is caused by our own defense mechanism attacking the fibrous tissues of the joints.  The osteoarthritis is a degenerative disease caused by wearing of the cartilages and synovial membranes with the fibrous tendons and ligaments.

Sometimes osteoarthritis is characterized by swollen joints, at the distal end of digits, rheumatoid arthritis affects the more proximal joints like the metacarpophlangeal joints and the wrists. The people suffering from rheumatoid arthritis have a positive blood test for rheumatoid factors whereas it is negative in cases of osteoarthritis.  Gonorrheal infection can cause severe arthralgias with pruritus near the joints as well as other sites. However arthritis can be caused by a multitude of bacterial and viral infections such as Chlamydia, mycloplasma, ureaplasma, Gardnerella and Gonorrhea, so if these infections are accompanied by joint pains, the possibility of arthritis with the same microbe is predominant.  Some viruses like retroviruses are found in rheumatoid arthritis leading us to believe that it is this virus, which causes this peculiar behavior of our own immune system.

The patients suffering non infective arthritis can also be found with the presence of C reactive protein in the joint space signifying presence of some causative bacteria or virus, which are still not identified.  Most of the physicians rely on ciprofloxacin like Cipro or Cipro XR for treatment of gonorrhea, but doxycycline can also prevent joint destruction by stabilizing the cartilage as well as destroying the pathogen.  It is seen that gonorrheal infection is almost always accompanied by another pathogen, this necessitates that a complex mixture of antibiotics be given so as to combat the condition as a whole. 

The modes of treatment are prompt diagnosis, administration of appropriate antibiotics, abstinence from any form of sexual activity, plenty of fluids, and rest.  The partners with whom the infected person has had sex should be brought under the same care as either the victim has been infected by them or has infected them as well during the sexual episodes.