Joint Pain and Fatigue: The Connection

A lot of things cause fatigue. People get fatigued for a number of reasons. Chronic conditions such as, arthritis, nutrition, thyroid problems, anemia, lack of sleep, and nutrition are just a few issues that may cause fatigue. Treating these issues properly may lead to the elimination or reduction of fatigue.

The common causes of joint pain and fatigue are rheumatoid arthritis, and the other chronic conditions that come with it. Joint swelling, stiffness and abnormalities can increase the erythrocyte sedimentation rate. Positive rheumatoid factor, and increased levels of anti-cyclic citrullinated peptide can also add to joint pain.

Another cause of joint pain and fatigue is Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE). This chronic illness affects nearly seven hundred thousand American adults, ninety percent being women. This is often either wrongly diagnosed or not diagnosed at all. Statistics show that a large number of these individuals suffer from SLE without even knowing it. Lupus is the abnormal creation of autoantibodies in one’s blood, these can cause havoc with tissues within the body. SLE is an autoimmune disease.

Aside from the fatigue and joint pain, patients of SLE may get rashes, low-grade fevers, an abnormal blood count, mouth sores, and muscle pain. In serious cases, people with lupus experience severe damage to the brain, lungs, heart, and kidneys.

Diagnosis of such conditions can be determined by clinical studies that result from microscopic laboratory tests. These tests often show high levels of autoantibodies in the blood serum of SLE related patients.

There is no permanent cure for lupus, but there are treatments that can catch the signs and symptoms. This is important in preventing the advanced organ deterioration that so often affects lupus patients.

Treatment of joint pain may include:

• The use of Corticosteroids that will relieve joint and muscle inflammation. This, however, can have serious side effects on patients over time – osteoporosis, diabetes, and glaucoma are just a few.

• Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) provide relief from swelling, but people with lupus are prone to developing gastro esophageal relux disease (GERD) after taking such medications.

• Disease-modifying ant rheumatic drugs (DMARDs) or slow-acting ant rheumatic drugs (SAARDs) are also utilized to treat such conditions. They can be prescribed on their own or in combination with another drug to control due to autoimmune disease caused joint and muscle pain.

• Biologic therapies. Cytokines are targeted by these drugs. They are specific and cellular messengers.

An under active thyroid gland can cause hypothyroidism. This condition does not only cause aches and pains but also leads to fatigue. Dryness of mouth and eyes, memory loss, and other disturbing problems can result. It may be fatal if not diagnosed.

Fibromyalgia is another condition that causes joint pain and fatigue. It may also come with dryness of the eyes and mouth. This disease arises due to a disorder of central neurotransmitter functioning. Joint pain is not the only problem patients experience with this condition. They can experience fatigue, dryness of mouth and eyes, abnormal bowel movement or irritable bladder, chest pain, headaches, and difficulty in breathing.