The word arthritis comes from the Greek word Arthron which means Joint and the Latin word Itis which means inflammation. So arthritis means inflammation of the joints. Arthritis affects the joints in your body. Osteoarthritis is the most common form of arthritis which is mostly seen in elderly people.
Arthritis is a kind of disease that is similar in the tendency to affect the joints but its symptoms, effects, treatments, and complications are different from one person to another. The cause of arthritis depends upon the type of arthritis. The most common causes can be an injury, hereditary problems, age factors, and other kinds of infections which can affect the internal parts of the body. Arthritis also affects ligaments, muscles, cartilage, etc. The person who is suffering from arthritis can experience signs of pain in the joints, tenderness, swelling, stiffness, redness, and warmth in the joints of the body. Some forms of arthritis can also cause fever, gland swelling, weight loss, fatigue, and weakness. Certain forms of arthritis can also affect the patient’s kidneys, lungs, and heart which can be life-threatening too. Arthritis is a kind of rheumatic disease. That is why; it has the tendency to affect internal body organs which have nothing to do with the joint in the body.
Arthritis is not a single disease. It is a group of hundreds of diseases that can cause similar symptoms. The diagnosis of arthritis is very essential to treat it completely. If not diagnosed at a right time, then it can affect many other organs of the body which can cause big complications. The condition will become worst from worse and it will become very difficult to cure the disease. The person might not be able to use his/her joints ever and can lose his/her independence. If you ever feel the symptoms mentioned above or are feeling them, then you should consult a doctor immediately to get it treated.
Some people might not have very strong symptoms of this disease and then it becomes very difficult to diagnose the problem. They can lose the joints to function properly forever and will cause problems in day to day chores of the life of the patient. Some people suffer from arthritis of all the joints in the body and some people suffer from arthritis of certain joints of the body. Mostly arthritis affects people who are above the age of 50 but certain forms of arthritis can affect people at a younger age too.
Conclusion: People should exercise daily and try to maintain an ideal weight. If you are overweight then you should try to lose some weight in order to reduce the chances of getting infected with arthritis. Arthritis can be diagnosed by performing an X-ray of the body or the affected joints. Proper rest, medication, and physical therapy can cure the disease but if the condition is very severe then the patient might have to undergo surgery of the joints.
What Causes Arthritis
Arthritis is one of the most painful diseases that change your lifestyle at par. A person having arthritis cannot walk, and the situation can be more critical depending upon its type. The word is derived from the juxtaposition of Greek and Latin words. The Greek word arthron means joint, and the Latin word it is means inflammation. Hence, you can say that arthritis is joint inflammation. It affects the musculoskeletal system, especially that of joints, however, it has been found that it covers over 100 medical conditions. Few arthritis, come up only with age. In normal cases, the joint is a part where, one bone moves on the other, cushioned with ligaments. Ligaments are made up of elastic bands that keep muscles, relaxed, or contracting to make joints work.
Cartilage covers the surface of the bone, protects them from rubbing against each other, and hence allows them to work smoothly and painlessly. Furthermore, there is the synovial fluid that fills the gap between the two joints, which nourishes, the joint, and cartilage.
When a patient suffers from arthritis, there is a subsequent loss of cartilage, synovial fluid, and strain in the ligament. This critical issue induces severe in joints and finally arthritis.
Types of Arthritis and the Cause of Cropping up
Although, there are over 100 kinds of arthritis, here we are going to discuss some of the common ones.
• Osteoarthritis:
In the case of osteoarthritis, there is a gradual loss, in the elasticity of cartilage. As a result, the cartilage becomes stiff and starts wearied off. This damaged cartilage losses its quality of the shock absorber, which, ultimately destructs tendons and ligaments, creating severe pain in the joints.
• Rheumatoid arthritis:
Rheumatoid arthritis is simply a joint inflammation. Basically, in this case, the synovial membrane is attacked that causing swelling and pain. The most chronic thing about this one is that it is left undiagnosed, and can lead to severe deformity. Generally, this lethal disease targets women.
• Infectious arthritis (septic arthritis)
Especially this form of arthritis is caused due to infection of synovial fluid tissues of the joint. Sometimes, bacteria, fungi or virus, are transported from the bloodstream to joints, causing joint infection, that result in this fatal form.
• Juvenile rheumatoid arthritis
This kind of arthritis is found in a person in the age of sixteen or less. However, this can vary from mild to severe one. For instance, when you talk of pauciarticular JRA, it is the most frequent one, and the intensity of pain in this kind of arthritis is very less. A child can report gradual pain in almost four joints initially. The second critical condition comes up with polyarticular juvenile rheumatoid arthritis. Here the situation really becomes critical, since, as time passes it starts getting worse, and more painful. The category that comes in this form of arthritis is systemic juvenile rheumatoid arthritis. This is a least one, to affect people. Pain can be felt in, many joints and can lead to organs. It is the most critical one in its category.
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