Arthritis is a word that simply means "inflammation of the joints." It works by striking the connective tissues (the ones that attach the joints) in the body causing swelling, pain, and some form of disability.
There are more than 100 types of arthritic disease, but most types of arthritis can be broken down into three major types:
Degenerative arthritis
Rheumatoid arthritis
Infectious arthritis
Degenerative arthritis, more commonly known as osteoarthritis, is believed to be caused by normal wear and tear on the human body. For this reason, an estimated 80 percent of people over 50 have some form of arthritis. Osteoarthritis affects weight-bearing joints like the hips, knees, and spine. Finger joints are also often affected because they're used so often.
Osteoarthritis is rarely caused by the inflammation that's typically connected with arthritis. With this type of arthritis, the tissues and membranes of the joints become irritated as they deteriorate. The swelling is caused when the body reacts to this irritation by producing an excess of the synovial fluid around the irritated joint membranes.
Rheumatoid arthritis is most often seen in people between 20- and 50-years-old. It affects three to five times more women than men. It's categorized as an autoimmune disease which means the body's immune system attacks its own tissues. This causes inflammation, pain, and joint swelling in the mostly the hands, feet, wrists, knees, hips, and ankles.
The inflamed membranes react by sending out enzymes that break down the joint cartilage. This destroys the cartilage and makes it into a fibrous tissue that eventually calcifies. Bony knots are formed in the joints, fusing them and restricting their movement.
Infectious arthritis is caused by bacterial, viral, or fungal infections. It can cause the same symptoms as rheumatoid arthritis.
Infectious arthritis can be cured if caught early enough and treated with antibiotics. Those with rheumatoid arthritis cannot be cured and often have reoccurring bouts of it throughout their lives. A few have only one bout and never have a flare-up again. Osteoarthritis is also incurable. But even though there are no known cures for osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis, there are several traditional drug treatments that can reduce the pain and the number of flare-ups.
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