Last Updated: Thursday, January 10, 2008 10:24 AM CST
Clinic to hold health talk on arthritis
Marshfield Clinic Minocqua Center will host a free Health Talk at 6 p.m. on Thursday, January 17.
Marshfield Clinic Rheumatologist Martina Ziegenbein, M.D., will present “I Ache All Over,” an explanation of arthritis and fibromyalgia. In her presentation Ziegenbein will answer questions about arthritis and fibromyalgia and what can be done about these conditions.
Arthritis is actually an umbrella term used for a group of more than 100 medical conditions that collectively affect nearly 46 million adults and 300,000 children in America alone. The most common type of arthritis - osteoarthritis - is most prevalent in people over 60.
“One common myth is that arthritis is just another name for the aches and pains people get as they grow older. While some forms of arthritis become more common with older age (such as osteoarthritis), arthritis may begin at any age, including childhood. Conversely, some elderly people never develop arthritis,” Ziegenbein said.
Within the umbrella term of arthritis, there are many conditions termed systemic autoimmune or systemic rheumatic diseases.
“The autoimmune process of inflammation affects not only joints but can cause damage to any bodily organ or system including heart, lungs, kidneys, blood vessels or skin. An excellent example of this is systemic lupus,” Ziegenbein said.
One objective of the talk is to point out contrasts between different types of arthritis. In addition, the talk will explain the difference between arthritis and fibromyalgia.
Fibromyalgia is a non-life-threatening disorder characterized by muscle and related soft tissue pain, without damage found in those tissues. Its main symptoms are muscle pain, fatigue, sleep disturbances, and tender points at certain parts of the body. Many people describe fibromyalgia as feeling like a persistent flu.
Unlike arthritis - where joints are affected - it is important to stress that there is no damage found in muscles or joints with fibromyalgia.
“Experts estimate that in most industrialized countries 10-11 percent of the population has widespread pain at any given point in time. Women are 1.5 times more likely than men to develop the condition. Fibromyalgia can accompany an inflammatory rheumatic disease, such as rheumatoid arthritis, lupus or Sjogren's syndrome,” Ziegenbein explained. “Fibromyalgia also seems to run in families, so a gene may be at least partly responsible for the condition.”
Most people with fibromyalgia begin to notice symptoms between the ages of 20 and 40, but children and older adults may also develop the condition. Women with fibromyalgia typically feel pain throughout their body, while men are more likely to have facial pain or pain and stiffness in a certain part of the body as a result of a work- or recreation-related muscle strain.
If you or a loved one are experiencing that “ache all over” feeling and want more information about what could be causing it and what you can do about it, plan to attend this free talk at Marshfield Clinic Minocqua Center.
Registration is not necessary. For more information call 358-1320.
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