Arthritis

Arthritis is the inflammation of one or more joints. It is characterized by pain and stiffness (especially in the morning or after exercise), swelling, deformity, and/or a diminished range of motion. Bone growths or spurs may develop in the affected joints, increasing pain and decreasing mobility. There may be audible cracking or grating noises when the joint moves. There are many different forms of arthritis but the most common forms are osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis (RA).

Osteoarthritis, also called degenerative joint disease, involves deterioration of the cartilage protecting the ends of the bones. It is sometimes caused by injury or an inherited defect in the protein that forms cartilage. More commonly it is a result of wear and tear of aging, diet and lifestyle. Osteoarthritis rarely develops before the age of forty, but it affects nearly everyone past the age of sixty. It may be so mild that a person is unaware of it until it appears on an x-ray. Nearly three times as many women as men have osteoarthritis.

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA), a type of inflammatory arthritis, is an autoimmune disorder. An overactive immune system can be just as harmful as a weak one. As with other autoimmune disorders, rheumatoid arthritis is a “self-attacking-self” disease. In this case, the body's immune system improperly identifies the synovial membrane as foreign. Inflammation results, damaging cartilage and tissues in and around the joints. Often, the bone surfaces are destroyed as well because inflammation in the joints triggers the production of enzymes that slowly digest adjacent tissue. The body replaces this damaged tissue with scar tissue, forcing normal spaces within the joints to become narrow and the bones to fuse together. Rheumatoid arthritis creates stiffness, swelling, fatigue, anemia, weight loss, fever, and crippling pain.