es and their attachments to the bone. It is a chronic pain disorder that causes fatigue and sleep disturbances (Glover, Susan. 1989). It causes widespread pain in the muscles and tendons. It causes pain, particularly in the neck, spine, shoulders, and hips. It affects certain places on the body that are more sensitive to pain. It usually affects women.
             The gout is a painful condition that may attack both small and large joints. It often begins in the big toe. It results when the body produces too much or is unable to rid itself of a natural substance called uric acid. The uric acid forms needle like crystals in the joint that cause severe pain and swelling. The gout usually affects the big toes, ankles and knees. More men than women have gout.
             Lupus is a rheumatic disease that affects the skin and body tissues. It is a serious autoimmune disorder that can inflame and damage joints and other connective tissues throughout the body. It can possibly affect organs such as the kidney, lungs or heart. Lupus affects women about 8 to 10 times more often than men. Symptoms often first appear in women between ages 18 to 45. Lupus occurs more often in African Americans than in Caucasians. It may also occur more frequently in Asian and Latino populations.
             Juvenile arthritis refers to all types of arthritis that affect children. The most common is juvenile rheumatoid arthritis. There are also childhood forms of lupus and ankylosing spondylitis.
             Osteoarthritis can be diagnosed by taking a medical history, examining the joints, and listening to described symptoms. The x-rays and other imaging tests can confirm joint damage.
             Rheumatoid arthritis can be diagnosed by examination, taking a medical history, obtaining appropriate laboratory tests, and x-rays. No single test can definitively diagnose rheumatoid arthritis (Dimon, Joseph, Donahoo, Clara 1977).
             If the diagnosis is not clear, the doctor can or...