Rheumatoid arthritis is a long-term condition that causes pain, swelling and stiffness in the joints. The condition usually affects the hands, feet and wrists.  There may be periods where symptoms become worse, known as flare-ups or flares.  A flare can be difficult to predict, but with treatment it's possible to decrease the number of flares and minimise or prevent long-term damage to the joints.  Some people with rheumatoid arthritis also experience problems in other parts of the body, or more general symptoms such as tiredness and weight loss.

Rheumatoid Arthritis

Join pain

Swelling

Fibromyalgia, also called fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS), is a long-term condition that causes pain all over the body.  As well as widespread pain, people with fibromyalgia may also have increased sensitivity to pain, extreme tiredness (fatigue), muscle stiffness, difficulty sleeping, problems with mental processes (known as "fibro-fog"), such as problems with memory and concentration, headaches and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) (a digestive condition that causes stomach pain and bloating). Although there's currently no cure for fibromyalgia, there are treatments to help relieve some of the symptoms and make the condition easier to live with.

Fibromyalgia

Chronic pain

Fatigue

Numbness

A migraine is usually a moderate or severe headache felt as a throbbing pain on 1 side of the head. Many people also have symptoms such as feeling sick, being sick and increased sensitivity to light or sound. Migraine is a common health condition, affecting around 1 in every 5 women and around 1 in every 15 men. They usually begin in early adulthood. There are several types of migraine, including - migraine with aura – where there are specific warning signs just before the migraine begins, such as seeing flashing lights - migraine without aura – the most common type, where the migraine happens without the specific warning signs- migraine aura without headache, also known as silent migraine – where an aura or other migraine symptoms are experienced, but a headache does not develop. Some people have migraines frequently, up to several times a week. Other people only have a migraine occasionally. It's possible for years to pass between migraine attacks.

Anna Ulrikke Andersen