Different Types of Arthritis
Different Types of Arthritis
Arthritis is not one single form of disease. Research shows there are more than 100 forms of arthritis.
If you are one of the approximately 46 million Americans with arthritis you are afflicted with a disease that means joint inflammation. In an ironic twist, your body produces a natural reaction to disease or injury. That natural reaction is inflammation.
Inflammation includes swelling, pain, and stiffness. In another ironic twist, inflammation that lasts for a very long time can lead to tissue damage.
Rather than get lost in ironic twists and loop de loops, let’s look at the three common types of arthritis.
The first is called osteoarthritis (OA) and is the most common type of arthritis. People with osteoarthritis don’t generally get technical and tell yoy they have osteoarthritis. They simply say they have arthritis.
OA occurs when the cartilage covering the end of the bones gradually wears away. As you can imagine, without the protection of the cartilage, the bones begin to rub against each other. This rubbing produces a friction that leads to pain and swelling.
Osteoarthritis is also called degenerative joint disease. It gets this name because as the cartilage breaks down it is said to have degenerated.
This degeneration can occur in any joint. The joints most often affected are the hands and weight-bearing joints such as the knee, hip and facet joints (in the spine).
Arthritis type number two is called rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Like OA it most commonly attacks joints in the hands, wrists and knees. RA causes the body’s immune system to mistakenly attack itself. When this happens the joint lining begins to swell.
The swelling brings on inflammation which then spreads to the surrounding tissues. Left unchecked it can damage cartilage and bone. RA has another surprise for those afflicted with a severe case. It can also attack your skin, eyes, lungs, and nerves.
Gout is the third type of arthritis. People don’t generally consider gout to be arthritis. That could be because it most often affects the big toe, knee or wrist joints.
Anyone ever having gout can attest it is a painful condition. It is painful because it prevents the body from eliminating uric acid. This is a natural substance produced by the body.
The body then has excess uric acid which forms needle-like crystals in the joints that in turn cause swelling and severe pain.
This article was intended to cover only the three most common types of arthritis. Anyone interested in learning more about the remaining 97 or so types of arthritis should start by gong to their favorite search engine and typing in a keyword like different types of arthritis.