What is arthritis? What causes arthritis?
Arthritis
is a joint disorder featuring inflammation. A joint is an area of the body
where two different bones meet. A joint functions to move the body parts
connected by its bones. Arthritis literally means inflammation of one or more
joints.
Arthritis
is frequently accompanied by joint pain. Joint pain is referred to as arthralgia.
There
are many types of arthritis (over 100 identified, and the number is growing).
The types range from those related to wear and tear of cartilage (such as osteoarthritis)
to those associated
with inflammation resulting from an overactive immune system (such as rheumatoid
arthritis). Together, the
many types of arthritis make up the most common chronic illness in the United
States.
The
causes of arthritis depend on the form of arthritis. Causes include injury
(leading to osteoarthritis), metabolic abnormalities (such as gout and
pseudogout), hereditary factors, the direct and indirect effect of infections
(bacterial and viral), and a misdirected immune system with autoimmunity (such
as in rheumatoid arthritis and systemic lupus erythematosus).
Arthritis
is classified as one of the rheumatic diseases. These are conditions that are
different individual illnesses, with differing features, treatments,
complications, and prognoses. They are similar in that they have a tendency to
affect the joints, muscles, ligaments, cartilage, and tendons, and many have
the potential to affect other internal body areas.
What are arthritis
symptoms and signs?
Symptoms
of arthritis include pain and limited function of joints. Inflammation of the
joints from arthritis is characterized by joint stiffness, swelling, redness,
and warmth. Tenderness of the inflamed joint can be present.
Many
of the forms of arthritis, because they are rheumatic diseases, can cause
symptoms affecting various organs of the body that do not directly involve the
joints. Therefore, symptoms in some patients with certain forms of arthritis
can also include fever, gland swelling (swollen lymph nodes), weight loss,
fatigue, feeling unwell,
and even symptoms from abnormalities of organs such as the lungs, heart, or
kidneys.
Who is affected by arthritis?
Arthritis
sufferers include men and women, children and adults. Approximately 350 million
people worldwide have arthritis. Nearly
40 million people in the United
States are affected by arthritis, including over a quarter
million children!
More
than 27 million Americans have osteoarthritis. Approximately 1.3 million
Americans suffer from rheumatoid
arthritis.
More
than half of those with arthritis are under 65 years of age. Nearly 60% of
Americans with arthritis
are women.
Menstrual Periods & Arthritis
Why do many women with arthritis feel
worsening symptoms before and during their monthly menstrual period? During
the course of any day in caring for women with arthritis, it is not uncommon
for a number of them to complain of a monthly regular worsening of their
joint pain, stiffness, and swelling. This is not just a coincidence. Women
lose a lot from the blood calcium reserve during the monthly menstrual
circle.Therefore many forms
of arthritis and rheumatic diseases are known to occur more frequently in
women than in men. Moreover, it is not unusual for the initial presentation
of these conditions to occur following a pregnancy.
Why?
From the third month
of pregnancy, a fetus calcium demand increases, hence the mother supplies a
large amount of calcium from her body through her blood circulation to the
fetal blood circulation. As a result of this, the calcium content of her
blood decreases and display low blood calcium content. If not replenished, it
will lead to calcium deficiency.
The recommended
daily requirements of calcium for the average adult by the US National
Institute of Health is 800mg and not lower than 1500mg. for pregnant women,
nursing mothers and the elderly.
Researchers also are
finding that the immune system is influenced by signals from the female
reproductive hormones. It seems that the levels of hormones, such as estrogen
and testosterone, as well as changes in these levels can promote
autoimmunity. "Autoimmunity" is a condition whereby the immune system
(which normally wards off foreign invaders of the body, such as infections)
turns and attacks the body's own tissues, such as skin, joints, liver, lungs,
etc. Autoimmune diseases typically feature inflammation of various tissues of
the body.
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