Help With Arthritis Pain-Fungal Arthritis.

• There are many types of arthritis and they all require different kinds of attention and treatment. Fungal arthritis is a fairly rare condition that tends to strike when the immune system is weak. This form of arthritis, also known as mycotic arthritis, can actually be seen as a symptom of another condition entirely. This condition appears when another organ in the body has developed an infection, thus weakening the body's ability to deal with disease.

• Through the weakness caused by infection, invasive fungi organisms can set in. This fungi mostly attacks the tissue of the bone or the joint, causing swelling and inflammation. Joints that must bear weight, like the knees, are most commonly infected. Usually what happens is that organs like the lungs are infected with a condition like Coccidioidomycosis or Histoplasmosis. In both of these conditions, the lungs are attacked by an invasive fungal growth and over a long span of time, the fungus will spread to the joints.

• Due to its rarity, fungal arthritis is often misdiagnosed or overlooked in favor of other problems. Some common symptoms of fungal arthritis include joint swelling and stiffness, arthritis, and generalized pain in the area. You will also see a swelling of the feet and legs, depending on the severity of the case. Because these symptoms are generalized, it might take some time before the exact cause of the symptoms is discovered. A culture of the joint fluid can detect the presence of fungus as can a synovial biopsy. Skin tests or a positive antibody test can reveal fungal infection as well.

• Because the condition of fungal arthritis is usually contingent upon another condition, it can often take a while for the correct diagnosis to be made. Because so many of the symptoms can be traced back to the original affliction, there is a good chance that the fungal arthritis can pass undetected for some time. Because of this some treatment may need to be a bit extreme.

• While many cases of fungal arthritis can be deal with with in terms of medication like Amphotericin B or medications like fluconazole or intraconazole, surgery might be required for areas that have advanced levels of infection or repeatedly become infected. It is also important to remember the underlying cause of the infection as well as the general health of the patient. For example, surgery might not be an option for a patient who has cancer or who cannot afford another drain on their immune system.

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