Arthritis
What is Arthritis?
Arthritis is a general term for a number of painful conditions of the joints and bones.Osteoarthritis is the most common form of arthritis. Cartilage between the bones gradually wastes away and degenerates, leading to painful rubbing of bone on bone in the joints. It may also cause joints to fall out of their natural positions (misalignment). The most frequently affected joints are in the hands, spine, knees and hips. Osteoarthritis mostly affects people aged between 40 and 60, it grows more common with age. Around 12% of people over 65 are affected.
Rheumatoid arthritis is the main type of inflammatory arthritis. It is a chronic condition identified by pain and swelling in the joints, leading to reduction of movement, and the breakdown of bone and cartilage. Affecting between 1% and 3% of the population, it usually starts when people are between the ages of 30 and 50, and women are affected three times more often than men.
The cause of arthritis is not fully known. One theory is that some people are genetically predisposed to developing the disease, but this is not yet proven.
Factors that may contribute to the development of osteoarthritis include:
- obesity (which puts added stress on joints),
- jobs that involve repetitive movements of a particular joint, or
- previous damage to joint, such as from a sports injury.
Rheumatoid arthritis is thought to be caused by a fault in the immune system that causes the body to attack its own tissues. This may be inherited genetically.
Arthritis Symptoms
Joint pain and progressive stiffness without noticeable swelling, chills, or fever during normal activities probably indicate the gradual onset symptoms of osteoarthritis.Painful swelling, inflammation, and stiffness in the fingers, arms, legs, and wrists occurring in the same joints on both sides of the body, especially on awakening, may be signs of rheumatoid arthritis.
Fever, joint inflammation, tenderness, and sharp pain, sometimes accompanied by chills and associated with an injury or another illness, may indicate infectious arthritis.
In children, intermittent fever, loss of appetite, weight loss, and anemia, or blotchy rash on the arms and legs may signal juvenile rheumatoid arthritis.
