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What is arthritis?
Arthritis is pain, stiffness or swelling of the joints in the body. A joint is a place where two bones join, such as the knee or elbow. Eventually, the joint cartilage may become damaged as arthritis progresses. Joint cartilage is the tissue covering the ends of bones that lets them glide against one another. Damage to the joint cartilage from arthritis may cause joint weakness, instability and visible deformities that often disrupt activities of daily living including walking, climbing the stairs, brushing one’s teeth or typing on a computer keyboard. Arthritis affects 46 million adults and 300,000 children and costs $124 billion annually in health care and lost production or wages.
There are more than 100 arthritic conditions that may affect the musculoskeletal system. Osteoarthritis (OA) is the most common form. OA most frequently affects people over the age of 60 years, although it may begin in infancy. OA usually affects the fingers, knees or hips. It occurs as a result of aging or after an injury. For example, a person has a car accident or injures themselves in a baseball game and then develops arthritis many years later. Arthritis may be systemic, meaning it affects the whole body including organs or whole systems such as the eyes, skin, lungs, blood vessels or heart. However, arthritis usually affects the muscles and bones.
In other forms of arthritis, the body’s own immune system may attack the joints. The most common form of this type of arthritis is rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Symptoms of RA include feeling sick or tired or having a fever. Juvenile rheumatoid arthritis (JRA) affects young children. Lupus, a disease in which the body’s immune system attacks itself, may cause arthritis. Infectious arthritis occurs when an infection spreads to the joints.
A physician can diagnosis arthritis and rule out other illnesses. The physician may order x-rays or blood tests. He or she may prescribe prescription medicines to reduce pain, inflammation and stiffness. The physician may also recommend non-prescription treatment options.
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