What is Arthritis ?

Arthritis is a disease that causes arthritic pain, stiffness, inflammation, and damage to joint cartilage. Joint Cartilage is flexible tissue that covers the ends of bones, enabling them to move against each another. When Arthritis causes damage to joint cartilage, then joint weakness, instability, and deformities can result which interfere with even the most basic daily tasks, such as walking, driving a car, and preparing food.

Arthritis is often referred to as a single disease, but it is a term that is used to describe more than 100 medical conditions that affect joints where two or more bones meet.

Types of Arthritis

Arthritis is the number one cause of chronic disability in the United States. It currently affects 40 million Americans in one form or another. Most, but not all, of the 100 types of arthritis can be categorized into one of three basic types; osteoarthritis, inflammatory and traumatic. 

• Osteoarthritis is the most common type that affects approximately 16 million. This is a non-inflammatory degenerative disease that causes the joint cartilage to breakdown which eventually allows the bones to grind together. The causes of osteoarthritis is unknown. 
• Inflammatory Arthritis is a chronic disease that happens for unknown reasons. Often the immune system will mistakenly attack the tissue. A form of inflammatory arthritis that is common is Rheumatoid arthritis. In Rheumatoid arthritis the body attacks the synovium of the joint. This is a sack of fluid that acts as a cushion between the joints. The synovium becomes inflamed which causes chemicals to be released that in turn thickens the synovial fluid. The damage to the synovium causes pain and swelling that leads to damage to the cartilage.
• Traumatic Arthritis is the culprit in a serious hip, knee or shoulder injury. This can be a fracture or severe traumatic event that leads to a condition called avascular necrosis. In this condition the blood supply to the bone is cut off and as a result the surrounding cartilage begins to deteriorate. The most common area to occur is the hip.

A widely held belief is that Arthritis is a natural or normal occurrence as a person ages. That is, Arthritis is a normal consequence of growing old. Arthritis is not a natural part of ageing at all. In addition, approximately 60% of all people suffering from Arthritis are younger than the usual retirement age.

In western countries, where many populations are ageing, the percentage of people with arthritis is increasing, and current estimates indicate that 20% of people could suffer from some form of arthritis by 2020.

Although Arthritis is not yet curable, the condition is usually manageable, and various research indicates that early intervention can delay the onset of the disease. However, Arthritis often impacts on the sufferer's quality of life and causes varying degrees of discomfort and pain.

While there are more than 100 distinct forms of Arthritis, the most common forms include:

• Ankylosing Spondylitis

• Gout

• Juvenile Arthritis

• Osteoarthritis

• Rheumatoid Arthritis

• Scleroderma

• Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (often simply called Lupus)

In fact, more than 95% of all Arthritis cases are made up of Osteoarthritis, Rheumatoid Arthritis, and Gout.

Out of the most common forms of Arthritis (listed above), the following are auto-immune disease related:

• Rheumatoid Arthritis

• Scleroderma

• Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (often simply called Lupus)

This means that a sufferer's own immune system attacks their own body tissues, causing the symptoms. That is, the person's own immune system turns against parts of the body that it is designed to protect, causing inflammation and damage to various body tissues.

Symptoms of Arthritis 

Symptoms of arthritis are dependent upon the type that you have. Being able to correctly describe the type of pain you are experiencing will help point your doctor in the right direction for early diagnosis and treatment. Pain can be continuous or intermittent; after an activity or exercise or just if you’ve been resting; you may have pain in one spot or feel it all over your body. Daily chores can become a challenge.

Arthritis Diagnosis

Early diagnosis and treatment tailored to the type of arthritis you have is important to decrease the functional loss you may experience as the disease progresses. Only a doctor can diagnose arthritis and give you the proper treatment options to keep you functional and as pain free as possible. There are arthritis specialists called Rheumatologists who are physicians who have intimate knowledge of the arthritis condition and the appropriate therapies and treatments for each individual case.

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