Arthritis is a chronic condition or disease where body joints are damaged. The person aflicted suffers pain, stiffness, and inflammation of tissue lining their joints or by the breakdown of the joint’s cartilage. For people fifty-five years and older arthritis is the leading cause of disability.
There are many kinds of arthritis, which include:
- osteoarthritis, which is a degenerative joint disease that is the most common form of arthritis. Roughly 27 million American suffer from this form or arthritis. A person with this chronic condition sees a breakdown in their joint cartilage. This condition most commonly affects the fingers, knees, and hips. Athletes often suffer from this as they age as a result of trauma to their joints. Infection to a joint or just natural aging will also lead to osteoarthritis. This arthritis occurs because of degradation of joints including articular cartilage and the subchondral bone next to it that leads to inflammation.
- rheumatoid arthritis 1.3 million Americans and about 1% of the world’s population is afflicted by rheumatoid arthritis, women three times more often than men. This chronic condition is characterized by the inflammation of the lining of the joint called synovium.
psoriatic arthritis is a inflammatory joint disease associated with psoriasis. Psoriasis a chronic skin disease that is an autoimmune disease. Up to on quarter of people with psoriasis will develop psoriatic arthritis, but that number varies greatly depending on the source.
Septic arthritis – (also called infectious arthritis) is caused by a bacterial, viral, or fungal to the joints. The condition can cause severe joint pain and inflammation.
Gouty arthritis – for this condition, uric acid crystals are deposited in the joint, causing inflammation.
Resources to learn more about arthritis:
National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS)
Website: http://www.niams.nih.gov
Arthritis Foundation
Website: http://www.arthritis.org
American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS)
Website: http://www.aaos.org
American College of Rheumatology (ACR)
Website: http://www.rheumatology.org