DEAR DR. DONOHUE: I am involved as a board member of the Arthritis Foundation of New Jersey. I would like to call attention to a couple of common issues and misconceptions about the disease called arthritis.

Many people do not realize that arthritis is a disease. It is, in fact, more than 100 diseases, some of which are debilitating, and all of which involve pain that affects lifestyle and productivity. Few realize that an estimated 300,000 children in the U.S. under the age of 18 have some form of arthritis.

Despite the fact that arthritis affects more people than most other diseases, there are still a lack of knowledge, misdiagnoses and improper treatment. I would love to hear that your readers connect with the informative personnel at the Arthritis Foundation. — J.R.

ANSWER: Most people don’t realize what arthritis is or what constitutes a joint. “Arthritis” is Greek for “joint inflammation.” A joint is the place where two bones meet and where those bones are able to pass over each other so we can move, walk, type, paint and do all the other actions that make life livable.

Gout is one kind of arthritis. Psoriasis generates arthritis in about 30 percent of its patients. Hemochromatosis, an inherited illness where too much iron is absorbed, is another illness with its unique arthritis. People are familiar with osteoarthritis, the most common kind of arthritis, affecting close to 70 percent of people older than 65. It comes about from a fraying and crumbling of the cartilage covering the ends of abutting bones. Cartilage allows for smooth, frictionless movement of a bone over another. Without the intact cartilage, bone rubbing against bone creates pain on movement. The second-most-common kind of arthritis is rheumatoid arthritis; more than a joint disease, it’s a truly bodywide disease that affects joints with inflammation and can affect the eyes, the skin, the heart, the lungs and many other organs.

I’m happy you brought up the many arthritis varieties and spotlighted the Arthritis Foundation, a source of information and help to all those who suffer from arthritis in all its forms. People can reach the foundation at www.arthritis.org or by its toll-free number, 800-283-7800. It’s a friend that many with arthritis don’t know they have.

DEAR DR. DONOHUE: I need some information about the medicine Lexapro. I suffer from anxiety, and it did wonders for me. I don’t know how safe long-term use is. It took six weeks to get off it. My anxiety came back, but I am reluctant to start the medicine again. I would like to know if it’s approved for lifelong use. — A.R.

ANSWER: Lexapro (escitalopram) is an antidepressant and an anti-anxiety medicine. No one, not even the manufacturer, is sure if it’s safe for long-term use. However, if your world has turned upside down without it, I would choose to go back on it. A doctor is writing the prescription for you. You can contact the doctor if unexplained symptoms develop. If they do, you can again taper off it, and the doctor can choose a different medicine.

DEAR DR. DONOHUE: You have written about reflex sympathetic dystrophy, now called complex regional pain syndrome, which I have had for more than 20 years. Perhaps you would mention the Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy Association, whose website is www.rsds.org and whose toll-free number is 877-662-7737. The organization is a wonderful source of information on the latest research and gives helpful hints and puts people in touch with support groups. — A.C.

ANSWER: Complex regional pain syndrome is a process that leads to lingering and increasing severe pain long after an injury should have healed. Bone breaks, muscle strains, ligament sprains and even things like heart attacks can usher in the syndrome.

You have dealt with it for more than 20 years, one of the longest time periods I have heard. Many people are done with it in a year or two.

I’m sure fellow sufferers will be glad you directed them to the association. My hat’s off to you for managing to think of others when you have suffered so long yourself.

Dr. Donohue regrets that he is unable to answer individual letters, but he will incorporate them in his column whenever possible. Readers may write him or request an order form of available health newsletters at P.O. Box 536475, Orlando, FL 32853-6475. Readers may also order health newsletters from www.rbmamall.com.

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