About other chronic inflammatory diseases
There are many chronic inflammatory diseases in addition to rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis and inflammatory lung disease. The other diseases include inflammatory bowel disease, atherosclerosis and psoriasis.
Inflammatory bowel disease
Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) is the name of a group of disorders that cause the intestines to become inflamed (red and swollen). IBD can be painful and debilitating and causes chronic inflammation of the digestive tract.
The two most common forms of IBD are ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s Disease. Both conditions inflame the lining of your digestive tract and both can cause severe bouts of watery diarrhoea and abdominal pain.
If you have IBD, you may have abdominal cramps and pain, diarrhoea, weight loss and bleeding from your intestines.
Find out more about IBD
Psoriasis
Psoriasis is a common immune-mediated chronic skin disease that comes in different forms and differing levels of severity.
It is a condition that is generally found on the knees, elbows, scalp, hands, feet or lower back, and generally appears as patches of raised red skin covered by a flaky white build up. It can cause intense itching and burning.
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Artherocsclerosis
Artherosclerosis is the term for the process of fatty substances, cholesterol, cellular waste products, calcium and fibrin building up in the inner lining of an artery.
It is a slow and progressive disease that may start in childhood. If left untreated, artherosclerosis can lead to heart attack or stroke.
The first symptom of a narrowing artery may be pain or cramps at times when the blood flow can’t keep up with the body’s demand for oxygen. For example, during exercise a person may feel chest pain because of a lack of oxygen to the heart or while walking, a person may feel leg cramps because of a lack of oxygen to the legs.
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Rheumatoid arthritis
Osteoarthritis
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary (Lung) Disease
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