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Article Series: Arthritis
Help Me Understand Arthritis & Arthritis Pain
What
Are Osteoarthritis and Rheumatoid Arthritis?
The most prevalent type of arthritis is called
osteoarthritis. It is a result of the breakdown of the tough,
elastic cartilage that acts as a protection for the ends of
bones in their joints. As the cartilage breaks down some pieces
can break off and cause further pain and inflammation in the
joint. At times spurs may develop or the cartilage breaks down
completely and the ends of the bones will painfully rub together.
It affects men and women equally and although it can occur
at any time during life it is most often associated with individuals
in their middle age.
Osteoarthritis can occur in any joint such as the hands but
usually weight bearing joints suffer the most frequently -
such as the hips, knees and spine. As it becomes more difficult
to use these joints extenuating problems can develop as the
muscles surrounding them go unused for lengths of time and
begin to weaken.
With this particular type of arthritis the pain can develop
slowly and can involve some pain, swelling and stiffness surrounding
a joint that lingers on for more than two weeks at a time.
Heredity can play a role in who may be prone to osteoarthritis
but excess weight can accelerate matters as more stress is
put on joints. Other factors include injuries or overuse of
joints that can damage the cartilage
Rheumatoid Arthritis also affects a large number of the population.
It is an autoimmune disease, which indicates that the body's
immune system is attacking other parts of the body. It is
also demonstrated by pain, swelling and heat around the affected
joint. Because it is autoimmune based it can affect other
internal organs as well, such as the heart and lungs. It
seems to occur mainly in the hands and feet but can be found
in other joints.
The inflammation of this type of arthritis can be painful
and if left untreated may cause permanent damage. However,
even when the pain is not severe there can be some initial
joint damage that may only show up through x-rays. Studies
have shown that usually the most amount of damage or deformity
to joints occurs during the first few years after the onset
of the disease. People with severe Rheumatoid Arthritis can
have trouble using their hands to do simple tasks and may have
difficulty even walking. It has been shown to affect women
three times more often that men and can occur in young individuals
as well as older ones.
As with Osteoarthritis the indications will include inflammation
and joint pain. But Rheumatoid Arthritis can include a variety
of other symptoms such as weakness, fever and weight loss.
It can begin with a flu like appearance. And each individual's
experience can vary over time with the disease possibly going
through different remissions.
Rheumatoid Arthritis also seems to follow a symmetrical pattern
- where if one hand is affected so will the other one be. As
a distinguishing characteristic it does not seem to affect
the joints nearest the fingernails although the rest of the
hands and wrists may suffer. It can strike any joint but does
not seem to affect the spine. And it's inflammation can erupt
in other body organs and tissues.
It has been difficult for researchers to understand the cause
and variances of this disease. Ongoing studies are trying to
determine any markers in the blood that may prove to be indicators
of genetic probability. As with all types of arthritis the
medical community hopes to find not only the causes but a way
to repair and rebuild lost joint tissue and thus be able to
give relief to millions of sufferers.
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SolveYourProblem.com
: 2009
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