What Causes Arthritis?

It is a common belief that arthritis affects millions of elderly people all over the world, with its symptoms showing as early as age 50s. In fact, a medical website claims that rheumatoid arthritis ( the most common form of arthritis) is the leading cause of disability among the elderly, especially for people who are 65 years or older. This means that once a person gets old, he or she will be experiencing the symptoms of arthritis. The stiffness, pain and inflammation are actually manifestations that a person has arthritis, but what really causes arthritis? This article gives a clear explanation of what causes arthritis and how its development can be delayed.

For a better understanding of what causes arthritis, it is familiarize yourself with some information about the joints. This explanation is not intended for medical advice , rather, as a general overview of what causes arthritis.

All people have immune system that wards off possible attacks of germs, virus, bacteria or any matter that may cause harm to our body. Arthritis is caused by our immune system that begins to attack the synovium. Our joints are protected by a lining known as the synovium, so when this gets swollen or inflamed, the body reacts by thickening the synovium. As a result, the cartilage and joints around the bone are slowly destroyed causing the tendons and ligaments to be damaged and weakened. As time passes by, our joints get deformed and lose its correct alignment. Therefore, infections that come along from the diseases that we have experienced play a factor in contributing to the onset of arthritis. It is important then to seek immediate treatment when we are sick so it would not worsen and lead to complications. On most normal cases, the synovial fluid surrounding cartilage lessens as we age; thus, arthritis is brought about by the normal wear and tear of daily living. However, until now, even doctors are perplexed about how arthritis develops quite early for some individuals. Now, after understanding what causes arthritis, it is best to learn nor on how to prevent early onset of this disease.