A Closer Look To Arthritis Types And Their Symptoms And Causes

A Closer Look to Arthritis Types and Their Symptoms and Causes: What You Need to Know

Arthritis is a medical condition that affects more than 70 million of people in America alone. It is viewed particularly as the disease of the old, but children of all ages, even those who are still in diapers, may also suffer from the disease. In manifests in a number of ways, with varying symptoms, but the severity of this medical condition will generally vary according to its types.

Yes, you heard me right. Arthritis is a degenerative disease that comes in a number of types. Each of these varieties has their own characteristics or symptoms, causes, and treatments. With these differences, there's nothing better for every concern person to do now than to know in close details each of the known types of arthritis.

Want to know what these types are? You probably are suffering from one of them. If you are serious with your aim, then read on.

#1: Osteoarthritis (OA)

Known throughout the medical field as the degenerative type of joint disease, osteoarthritis is on the most basic the most common form of arthritis. The popularity of this condition is attributed much to the fact that more than 20 million of adults and elderly in the United States alone are suffering from it. Although common in adults, osteoarthritis also occurs in people aging 18 to 79 years old, and as studies show, women are more prone to it than men.

The osteoarthritis is classified as a disease of the joint that occurs when the cartilage of the bone wears out. The cartilage is anatomically the part of the bone that acts to protect and cover the ends of it. This part works as a shock absorber, especially when lifting or weight bearing is involved. It has a slippery surface, which in turn allows the bones to move as smooth as possible. The inflammation, however, occurs when this slipper and protective organ gets rough and thin, then leading to the thickening of the bones underneath the joint. It may occur on the knee joints, as well as to the spine, feet, and hips.

It is further interesting to know that osteoarthritis is a non-inflammatory disease that develops without the swelling. However, this only happens during the early stage of the condition for as it progresses and remains untreated, the pain will lead to the development of inflammation. The inflammation starts to happen specifically when the cartilage breaks off or when it floats within the joint. Worse is that this affects the other tissues inside that inflamed part, leading to swelling, pain, and difficulty of moving.

Symptoms of OA

The symptoms of osteoarthritis occur typically slowly. They appear only on the area near the joint and may include pain and stiffness during the early stage. Also during this stage, the pain can only be felt right after a thorough exercise is handled, and will go away once you started to rest. The pain and stiffness may become constant and more severe once the condition is left ignored, and that is triggered basically by the continuous break down of the bone cartilage.

Once the wearing continues, a grating sound on the joint can be heard. This sound will eventually lead to immobility. Along with this sign, you may feel that your joint is warm to touch or may even be swollen. The occurrence of these symptoms is what allows medical experts to label the stage as the erosive inflammatory osteoarthritis.

Deformity will further develop once one side of the joint starts to collapse. The good thing to note, however, is that although this symptom manifests, the possibility of crippling is not that intense.

Now, how can you prevent such symptoms from worsening? Simple! Start seeing your doctor as soon as the first warning sign occurs. Certain medical techniques or procedures, like an x-ray test, can be ordered to see closely if the bone or its cartilage is fast wearing out. Blood tests may also be handled.

The Potential Causes

As generally recognized, osteoarthritis is caused primarily by the wearing and tearing of the bone's cartilage. Nevertheless, several researches and studies have revealed that playing sports tennis, skiing and jogging may also contribute a great part to the development of osteoarthritis. This is also true as with the case of intensive lifting and weight bearing wherein the hands and hips are used primarily.

Although such claims are noted, medical experts found no concrete support that will detail the real cause of osteoarthritis. There are some medical disorders though that they claim as highly capable of causing the osteoarthritis. These include the gout, congenital disorders, as well the rheumatoid arthritis, which I will discuss in close detail later on this page.

Recently, there are some studies that consider genetics as a potent contributor of this degenerative condition. Other than that, these recent studies associated chemical reactions in the body as another potent cause, as well as obesity.

#2: Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA)

Another well-known type of arthritis, RA or rheumatoid arthritis is the condition that is said to be autoimmune. Meaning, it has the tendency to affect other parts of the body that your immune system can reach. It is so common for the reason that it affects more than 10 million of people in the United States alone, with the victims aging from 25 to 50. Children and senior citizens, however, can still be affected by it, and as what many researches have revealed, three quarters of these victims are women.

Rheumatoid arthritis is a disease that is symmetric. That is what many experts on the medical field have said, and this claim is patterned from the findings that RA may involve similar joints on both sides of the body. The most common targets of this condition include the wrists, fingers, legs and arms. It may also affect the eyes, lungs, and heart, especially on the most severe stages.

Symptoms of RA

Unlike the first mentioned type, rheumatoid arthritis may develop on a gradual or sudden manner. It may even be severe with the attack of a flu-like condition. Well, on the early stage, this autoimmune condition may manifest with some pains particularly on the joints affected. This happens since even on the onset of the condition, the joint lining known medically as "synovium" is inflamed. Stiffness, pain, swelling, redness and warmth may then occur. Once the inflammation develops, the cells within the affected joint will the start to produce an enzyme which may in turn digest the bone and its cartilage.

The other notable symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis include weakness and fatigue, immobility which tends to improve with movement, minor fevers, weight loss, the development of rheumatoid nodules under the skin particular on the fingers, forearms and ankles, as well as anemia.

Note that these rheumatoid symptoms vary from person to person. There are some victims who may only be experiencing from mild symptoms, while others may suffer from the most severe of the condition. For those with milder symptoms, the pain and the swelling may only be felt with periods of activity and inactivity. For those with severe inflammation, on the other hand, the symptoms can be felt over time. They may even appear to get worse and even permanent. As a result, people suffering from severe rheumatoid arthritis may continuously appear tired and weak. Weight loss and fever may occur. Being so serious, it is necessary for every sufferer to consult a doctor or specialist to find out about the severity of the condition. If your doctor tells you that you have the RA, then there's nothing best you can do then than to see a medical expert specializing in rheumatism so to start the treatment.

Causes of RA

No one until these days knows the real cause of rheumatoid arthritis. This is also true as with the rest of the arthritis types. However, there are some researches and studies claiming that there are certain factors that may have possibly contributed to the development of RA. Well, of these causes, the attack of viruses and bacteria to the joints and its tissues is deemed to be the most well-known.

According to several studies, rheumatoid arthritis occurs when a bacterium or virus attacks the tissues of the joints, causing it to swell. This viral attack happens to some genetic predispositions, which in turn is associated with the inheritance of a particular chemical marker on the bodily cells.

There is also a particular claim which states that rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune disease. Being that type, it is expected for this disorder to affect even the tissues of the body once an immune response is detected. This happens when body produced antibodies which target and attack the bodily joints, leading to the development of the inflammation. The joint becomes more inflamed and painful when excess fluid starts to flow into certain spaces on the affected joints.

Severe stress also plays a very big part to the development of rheumatoid arthritis. That's what most medical expert say, and as for what reason is unknown.

#3: Infectious Arthritis (IA)

Also labeled as the septic type of arthritis, the infectious arthritis is caused by infection, hence the name. This type is so far the most curable especially when treated and handled properly. The tendency, however, when the condition is left ignored is that the infection on the joints will lead to a more serious damage which may spread even to other areas in the body.

It is worth noting that the infectious arthritis affect people of all ages. This then include the elderly and the newborns. But, the good thing to know though is that it is not contagious.

Being an infectious type, it is expected for IA to develop as a result of a germ attack. That germ may include a bacterium, a fungus, or a virus. It develops right after a type of bodily infection is previously detected, and it worsens once that previous infection is left untreated. Worse is that, it affects one or more joints, including the larger ones like the hips, shoulders, and knees.

Symptoms of IA

Unlike the other types of arthritis mentioned above, the symptoms of infectious arthritis will occur suddenly. There are some instances though that the symptoms of this condition will appear after one or two weeks. On the most initial stage, you will notice the occurrence on the joint itself. It continues with swelling and soreness. If left untreated, the condition will lead to the leakage of the fluid flowing on the joints tissues, then leading to the development of warmth. Yes, you may feel warm once the affected part is touched. If it reaches the severe stage, the patient will suffer from chills and fever. Vomiting and nausea may even occur to children affected by infectious arthritis.

There are some more notable symptoms of infectious arthritis especially when a bacteria, virus or fungi enters the systems. These may include shaking chills and fever which may start quite suddenly and mild and severe bodily aches. Just like the rest of the arthritis types, these signs and symptoms will vary from person to person.

Causes of IA

As mentioned earlier, the primary cause of infectious arthritis is bacterial infection. Nevertheless, it is may also be associated with certain medical conditions, including tuberculosis, gonococcus, and the attack of spirochetes, staphylococcus, and salmonella which are all true with people suffering from lyme disease.

From bacterial infection, it is also important to note that this type of arthritis can also be triggered by viral infection. Included in the list of conditions that may contribute to the development of this medical condition are mumps, hepatitis, and infectious mononucleosis. If the joint inflammation occurs due to these factors, the tendency for the condition is to last for more than two weeks.

Finally, anyone with history of fungi infection can develop the infectious form of arthritis. However, of the causes noted for this condition, this is so far the least common. Other than that, it only develops slowly, but can be obtained once the person gets contact with dirty soil and droppings of birds. For this reason, the gardeners and chicken farmers are said to be more prone to infectious arthritis.

Several recent studies have linked many other medical conditions to the development of such type of arthritis. These may include diabetes, severe kidney disorder, and anemia.

Other Forms of Arthritis

There are a number of other types of arthritis that millions of people from different areas in the world are suffering from. To further give you idea of what these types are, then note the following:

? Cervical Arthritis ? Gout ? Psoriatic Arthritis ? Reiter's Syndrome ? Anklyosing Spondylitis ? Fibromyalgia ? Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis ? Lumbosacral Arthritis ? Paget's Disease ? Osteoporosis

Each of such types has their own properties and severity levels. The best thing to know about them is nothing else but to consult a specialist. That's your key to knowing your condition and how you can prevent or cure it.