Arthritis is a term for more than 100 medical conditions that affect the musculoskeletal system, specifically joints where two or more bones meet. The most common types are osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis and gout. Symptoms of arthritis include pain, stiffness, inflammation or swelling in a joint, reduced movement of a joint, and general symptoms such as fatigue and feeling unwell. Although it is more prevalent in older people, arthritis can also affect children, adolescents and people of working age, and along with back pain it is the most common cause of disability and forced retirement from the workplace.
Causes of Arthritis :
The three main types of arthritis — osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis and Gout — damage joints in different ways.
Osteoarthritis :
The most common type of arthritis, osteoarthritis involves wear-and-tear damage to your joint’s cartilage — the hard, slick coating on the ends of bones where they form a joint. Cartilage cushions the ends of the bones and allows nearly frictionless joint motion, but enough damage can result in bone grinding directly on bone, which causes pain and restricted movement. This wear and tear can occur over many years, or it can be hastened by a joint injury or infection.
Osteoarthritis also affects the entire joint. It causes changes in the bones and deterioration of the connective tissues that attach muscle to bone and hold the joint together. It also causes inflammation of the joint lining.
Rheumatoid arthritis :
In rheumatoid arthritis, the body’s immune system attacks the lining of the joint capsule, a tough membrane that encloses all the joint parts. This lining (synovial membrane) becomes inflamed and swollen. The disease process can eventually destroy cartilage and bone within the joint.
Gout :
Gout is a type of arthritis that leads to painful inflammation in a joint. The big toe is most commonly affected, but gout can affect the hands, wrists, knees, ankles, elbows or any other joint. Gout is caused by a build-up of uric acid, a normal waste product typically found in the blood. It comes from the breakdown of cells, DNA and the food and drinks you consume.
Other types of arthritis include:
- Juvenile idiopathic arthritis
- Psoriatic arthritis
- Reactive arthritis
- Septic arthritis
- Thumb arthritis
- Ankylosing Spondylitis
- Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (lupus)
Few Other names of Arthritis of Effecting body parts and named as Wrist Arthritis, Foot Arthritis, Elbow Arthritis, Hand Arthritis, Shoulder Arthritis, Spinal Arthritis/Stenosis, Ankle Arthritis.
