The Different Types of Arthritis

Arthritis is a general condition, which involves the damage of the bones, especially the joints. The joints are places where two bones meet like hands, hips, elbows, or knees. Arthritis causes pain, stiffness, inflammation, and swelling of the joints.

Over time due to wear and tear of the bones and old age, people start to feel stiff, sore and in pain in some parts of their bodies, specially the joints area. People at the age of fifty, and above usually start to complain about these symptoms, and complains about pain and mobility problem. Arthritis is also the leading cause of disability to some people due to the pain and inflammation of the affected area. This disease can last for a long period or recurs, which can lead to tissue damage.

There are different types of arthritis, and according to doctors, there are 100 types of arthritis in the medical book. Here are some of the most common cases of arthritis:

Rheumatoid arthritis - the most common and chronic form of arthritis that usually affects the hands, wrists, and knees. This type is also classified as autoimmune inflammation arthritis. The inflammation spreads around the surrounding tissues and eventually damages the cartilage and the bones. Inflammation is the body's natural reaction if it is afflicted with a disease or injury.

In the case of Rheumatoid arthritis, the defense mechanism of the body is muddled sending wrong signals in the brain and it begins to attack the body instead of healing the injured part. Left untreated this case may shorten the life span of a person who is suffering from arthritis by eighteen years.

Osteoarthritis - this arthritis is usually preconceived to be associated with people who are aging. Well in fact, osteoarthritis is a disease entailing the degradation of the joints. It mainly affects the weight bearing part of the body such the spine, hips, knees, and feet.

While mechanical factors can contribute to the development of osteoarthritis, some people are predisposed to have this disease as part of their genetic make-up. The onset of osteoarthritis takes time to manifest it slowly build up in the body, this is also the reason why many people has mistakenly correlates osteoarthritis as a sign of aging, while in fact it is in the patients body all along. For prevention early diagnosis and check-ups is the key in identifying if you have osteoarthritis.

Gout - is a disorder characterized by sudden recurring attacks of very painful arthritis caused by excessive deposits of monosodium urate crystal in the body, which accumulates in the joints due to abnormally high concentration of uric acid in the blood.

Unfortunately, 20% of people who have gout develop kidney stones. This is because the kidney cannot eliminate these toxins out of the body. Some of the uric acid is a by-product of cellular breakdown, this together with foods adds to the condition.

Juvenile idiopathic arthritis - as the name implies is a common arthritis among children and teenagers under the age of 16. It is a persistent form of arthritis without any definite cause hence, the name idiopathic. In JIA or juvenile idiopathic arthritis, the joints become inflamed. This type of arthritis may be transient in nature or chronic.

There are many types of arthritis, the pain patterns may vary from one person to another, and the occurrence depends on the person's predisposition to the disease itself. This disease should not be a cause to limit you from the things you enjoy or depress you, instead by learning the proper management of the disease, proper diet and exercise, and some lifestyle changes, you can be able to enjoy the things you love the most.