Very Painful
Arthritis is a painful inflammation of a joint or joints of the body, usually producing heat and redness. There are many kinds of arthritis. In its various forms, arthritis disables more people than any other chronic disorder.
Conditions Caused By: The condition can be brought about by nerve impairment, increased or decreased function of the endocrine glands, or degeneration due to age. Less frequently, it is caused by infection (tuberculosis, gonorrhea, Lyme disease, rheumatic fever).
Rheumatoid Arthritis
Rheumatoid arthritis, an autoimmune disease of unknown cause, is the most crippling form. Women are much more susceptible to it than men. Although rheumatoid arthritis usually appears between the ages of 25 and 50, it also occurs in children. Osteoarthritis, the most common type, occurs usually in people over 50. It tends to be more severe when the joints have been strained by obesity or overwork. Gout, the third most common form of arthritis, affects men almost exclusively.
Arthritis Symptomatic Treatment Treatment for arthritis includes use of heat, physical therapy, and aspirin or anti-inflammatory drugs such as ibuprofen and naproxen; remission of symptoms can sometimes be achieved with gold salts, penicillamine, and short-term cortisone, but they often have undesirable side effects. Orthopedic surgery, including artificial joint implantation, may be done in severe cases.
Effects 1 American In 6 Arthritis affects nearly 43 million Americans, roughly one American in six. Based on predictions of population growth, in 2020 an estimated 60 million Americans will have some form of arthritis. Osteoarthritis (OA) is the most common type; it affects more than 20 million Americans. An estimated 2.1 million people, about 1% of all American adults, have rheumatoid arthritis (RA).
Common Risk Factors The common risk factors determine who gets arthritis, be it OA, RA, or another form are Age,gender,obesty and work factors. Your risk of developing arthritis depends on your age. Arthritis is the leading cause of physical disability among adults 18 years of age and older, with OA being the most common form of arthritis in this age group.
Occurs More Frequently In general, arthritis occurs more frequently in women than in men. Before age 45, OA occurs more frequently in men; after age 45, OA is more common in women. RA also occurs much more frequently in women than in men.
Obesity Increases About two to three times as many women as men have Obesity increases the chances of getting OA, particularly for women. There is a clear link between obesity and the development of OA of the knee in women. Diet and exercise can help with weight control and minimize the stress on weight-bearing joints, such as your knees.
Physical Trauma Work-related repetitive injury and physical trauma contribute to the development of OA. If you have a strenuous job that requires repetitive bending, kneeling, or squatting, you are at high risk for OA of the knee.5 You may want to explore the options for minimizing the effects of arthritis in the workplace.
Arthritis Symptoms Arthritis symptoms are
inflammation is your body's reaction to damage or to the presence of a foreign substance. It can occur when the joint is injured, broken, infected, or subjected to prolonged "wear-and-tear." Generally, the inflammation goes away after the injury has healed or the infection has resolved. If the inflammation does not go away, you may have arthritis.
What Does Arthritis Effect? Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a long-term inflammatory disease of the joints. It primarily affects the joints and surrounding tissues but also can affect other organ systems in the body. The initial symptoms of RA usually appear gradually, and include fatigue, morning stiffness, muscle aches, loss of appetite, and weakness. Eventually, you may feel joint pain, with warmth, swelling, tenderness, and stiffness of the joint after inactivity.
Arthritis In Joints This fluid is not produced in adequate amounts. Normal joints contain a lubricant called "synovial fluid." A relatively recent approach is to inject arthritic joints with a manmade version of joint fluid known as hylan G-F (Synvisc). This synthetic fluid may postpone the need for surgery at least temporarily and improve the lifestyle of arthritis patients. Many studies are evaluating the effectiveness of this type of therapy.
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