Arthritis: Understanding the disease

Arthritis is not a single disease - there are over 100 different forms of arthritis. It is a collective term for different individual illnesses, with different features, treatments, complications, and prognoses. The similarity is that they have a tendency to affect the joints and many have the possibility to affect other internal parts of the body.

It is mostly related to wear and tear of cartilage (osteoarthritis) or associated with an overactive immune system causing inflammation (rheumatoid arthritis). The most common form of arthritis is Osteoarthritis (OA), which generally affects elderly patients. Other forms of arthritis are rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis, septic arthritis, etc.

One common myth is to associate arthritis with old age. It becomes more common as people age, but it may begin at any age, even childhood. They may affect the body's internal organs as well.

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Am I at the risk of developing Arthritis?

Arthritis can affect anyone regardless of their age, sex, or race, although many people who are affected won't have persistent or severe symptoms. But women are affected more than men. They usually develop osteoarthritis after the age of 40.

You are at higher risk for osteoarthritis if you have a family history or habits like smoking and drinking. Injury from specific activities is a risk factor for trauma-related arthritis.

What causes Arthritis?

Different forms of arthritis have different causes. Some of the causes of arthritis are hereditary factors, infections (bacterial and viral), lack of joint fluid, autoimmunity, etc.

What are the types of Arthritis?

Arthritis can be broadly categorised into inflammatory type or non-inflammatory type.

Some of the inflammatory types are

• Rheumatoid arthritis - the most common type of inflammatory arthritis. It is an autoimmune disease which mainly affects the joints. It has more severe symptoms causing pain, stiffness, fatigue and loss of appetite.
• Gout - most common in men. It is caused by increased uric acid in the blood, though not everybody with high levels in their blood get gout. But when uric acid levels in the blood are too high, it may form hard crystals in your joints. Being overweight, excessive alcohol drinking or eating too much meat and fish that are high in chemicals called purines increases your chances of getting gout. Some medicines, like diuretics, can also be one of the causes. Arthritis due to gout is usually characterized by a sudden attack of burning pain, stiffness and swelling in the joints.
• Psoriatic arthritis - It is associated with inflammation of the skin (psoriasis).

Some of the non-inflammatory types (injury) are

• Osteoarthritis - also called degenerative arthritis is usually caused by overuse of joints. This can be due to obesity, various sports disciplines or age. It is most common in the knees, hips, feet, and spine joints which bear weight. Cartilage covering the ends of bones serves as the body's shock absorber. With osteoarthritis, the cartilage gradually breaks down resulting in pain when the joint is moved.
• Fibromyalgia - a syndrome characterized by long-lasting extensive pain and tenderness in muscles, ligaments and tendons. It damages the joints and/or soft tissues and causes chronic pain. It does not get worse with time and is never fatal.
• Backache - one of the most common health problems which can occur in both men and women at any age. It can present itself as anywhere between a mild to unbearable. It can start slowly over a period of time as a result of poor posture. It may also have a suddenly onset due to injury. Back pain can either last for few days or can remain for weeks, months and even years.

What are the symptoms?

Regardless of the type, arthritis causes pain and limits the function of your joints. If your arthritis is due to inflammation of the joints then you may experience joint swelling, redness, warmth and stiffness.

With inflammatory arthritis like rheumatoid arthritis, your various organs of the body may be affected. You may have fever, lymph nodes swelling, weight loss, tiredness, inability to use your hand, difficulty in walking and poor sleep.

It's common to have pains in your muscles and joints, particularly if you give them too much strain. So how do you distinguish regular pain from early signs of arthritis because it's imperative to diagnose the disease as soon as possible.

If you see any of these symptoms you shouldn't put off a visit to the doctor.

• If the pains last for more than a week
• If you experience unexplained joint pain usually accompanied with fever
• You experience difficulty in carrying out daily chores due to joint pain
• Your joint pain isn't cured by pain killers
• There is swelling and stiffness in the joints

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Also read: Diagnosis and Treatment of Arthritis

Read more about causes, symptoms, diagnosis and treatment of psorasis.

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