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Bateeilee blog admin will share What Is Arthritis?. Many people think arthritis is a single disease, but it's not. Arthritis literally means "joint inflammation" and refers to a group of more than 100 rheumatic diseases and related conditions that are associated with joint pain, joint stiffness and swelling.

Certain arthritic conditions can affect parts of the body other than the joints. For example, tendons, muscles, and skin can become inflamed and painful. Some rheumatic conditions can affect internal organs and result in debilitating or even life-threatening complications.

The two most common types of arthritis are osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis. While they are both classified as arthritis, osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis are very different and must be distinguished.
Many people believe arthritis is a disease that only affects old people. In fact, arthritis can affect anyone at any age, including children. The incidence of arthritis increases with age, but nearly 3 out of 5 people with arthritis are under age 65.

If left undiagnosed and untreated, many types of arthritis can cause irreversible damage to the joints, bones, organs, and skin. It is essential to be diagnosed early in the course of the disease and treated appropriately. Knowing your type of arthritis is essential.

Osteoarthritis

Osteoarthritis, also known as degenerative joint disease, results from wear and tear on the joint. Cartilage damage develops which can lead to decreased joint function. The first signs of osteoarthritis are:

• joint pain
• joint tenderness
• joint swelling
• decreased range of motion

Usually, osteoarthritis onset is subtle and gradual, involving one or only a few joints. The joints most often affected are the:

• knees
• hips
• hands
• spine

The risk of developing osteoarthritis increases with age. Other risk factors include: joint injury, obesity, and repetitive use of the joint.

Rheumatoid Arthritis

Rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune disease which occurs when the body's own immune system mistakenly attacks the synovium (cell lining inside the joint). Rheumatoid arthritis is an inflammatory type of arthritis, chronic and potentially disabling. The first signs of the disease are:

• joint pain
• joint stiffness
• joint swelling
• loss of joint function

While the cause remains elusive, doctors suspect that genetic factors play some role in predisposition to the disease. But there is more than genetic predisposition. It is thought that there are also environmental triggers for rheumatoid arthritis.

Juvenile Arthritis

Juvenile arthritis is a general term for all types of arthritis that occur in children, 16 years old or younger. Juvenile rheumatoid arthritis is the most prevalent type of arthritis in children. There are three major types of JRA:

• Polyarticular (affecting many joints)
• Pauciarticular (pertaining to only a few joints)
• Systemic (affecting the entire body)

Signs and symptoms of juvenile rheumatoid arthritis vary from child to child. No single test can conclusively establish a diagnosis. Juvenile arthritis must be present consistently for six or more consecutive weeks before a correct diagnosis can be made.

Psoriatic Arthritis

Psoriatic arthritis is similar to rheumatoid arthritis. About 5% of people with psoriasis (a chronic skin disease) also develop psoriatic arthritis. In psoriatic arthritis, there is inflammation of the joints and sometimes the spine.

Fibromyalgia

Fibromyalgia syndrome is a painful condition characterized by:

• muscle pain
• chronic fatigue
• poor sleep

Fibromyalgia is characterized by pain in the muscles, ligaments and tendons. Fibromyalgia is a type of soft tissue or muscular rheumatism and does not cause joint deformities.

Gout

Gout is a painful type of arthritis that causes sudden, severe attacks of pain, tenderness, redness, warmth, and swelling in the joints, especially the big toe. The pain and swelling associated with gout are caused by uric acid crystals that precipitate out of the blood and are deposited in the joint.

Pseudogout / CPPD

Pseudogout, which is also known as Calcium Pyrophosphate Dihydrate Deposition Disease (CPPD), is caused by deposits of calcium phosphate crystals (not uric acid) in the joints. CPPD is often mistaken for gouty arthritis. Since CPPD is a different disease than gout, treatment is not the same.