What is Arthritis?

Arthritis is a very serious disorder, which affects people of all ages. Often, using the term arthritis can be confusing, because the word arthritis does not refer to a single disease, but rather a group of different diseases, most of which affect the joints, causing swelling and inflammation.

Even though there are actually many different types of arthritis, with more than 100 recognized kinds, most of them are not very common. In fact, osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis represent the majority of all reported cases, so usually when someone says they have arthritis, they are referring to one of these two specific types of arthritis. This is, of course, not to say that this will always be the case, but more often than not, it is.

Both of these types of arthritis can affect people of any age, but are most common among the elderly.

Osteoarthritis

Osteoarthritis usually affects weight bearing joints, but smaller joints, like those in the hand, are also commonly affected. It is an asymmetrical type of arthritis, which means that in most cases, osteoarthritis will attack one side of the body, without affecting the other. For example, if someone has knee osteoarthritis, it would typically only be present in one of their knees, rather than in both.

One of the main effects of osteoarthritis is that the cartilage around the affected joints begins to disappear. Cartilage acts as a protective cushion between joints, sort of like the shocks on a car. When the cartilage wears away, the bones in the affected joint begin to rub directly against each other. This can cause a number of problems, including bone spurs and other deformities, as well as inflammation and swelling. This is also one of the reasons that osteoarthritis is so painful.

There are a number of symptoms of osteoarthritis, which often are related to joint pain and swelling, but there are also some less obvious symptoms. Typically, however, the individual will experience joint pain in the morning, which usually lasts for about a half hour. Joint pain also can occur after heavy exercise and inactivity.

Rheumatoid Arthritis

While not as common as osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis is still one of the most common types of arthritis. It is a symmetrical arthritis, which means that when one joint is affected, the corresponding joint on the other side of the body is also usually affected. For instance, if the individual has rheumatoid arthritis in their right knee, they will also usually have it in their left knee.

One of the characteristics of rheumatoid arthritis is that it causes an autoimmune response in the body. This means that th cells that are normally used to fight disease and infection end up attacking healthy cells. As a result, the body is literally attacking itself.

Like other types of arthritis, some common symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis are joint pain, joint inflammation, and joint swelling. Often, this results in a general feeling of discomfort, which can occur for what seems like no reason. An elevated temperature, hunger, and bouts of fatigue are also common.