Arthritis Scan: Health Story

Aired on Superstation WGN
Saturday, July 30 and November 19, 2005
Show 220

Nearly 70 million Americans are affected by over a hundred types of arthritis. "As arthritis progress, there is stiffness, pain, swelling, redness and decreased function and mobility," says Dr. Virginia Byers Kraus at the Division of Rheumatology and Immunology at Duke University Medical Center.

"The most common type of arthritis is osteoarthritis where joints lose the articular cartilage that protects the bones," says Dr. Calvin Brown, rheumatologist at Rush University Medical Center. "We're doing fascinating high-tech things that are helping us understand what causes arthritis," he says. At Rush, computers measure the way people walk, and how joints move.

At Duke, researchers are using thermography to detect early arthritis. "We picked up early disease with thermal scans and did find arthritis associated with increased temperature. Knowing this, we can develop medication to intervene sooner," says Dr. Kraus.

"There is always hope for those with arthritis. Even though we don't have a cure, there is so much we can do with medication, treatment, surgery and exercise that no one needs to suffer," says Dr. Brown.