Arthritis is a simple way of referring to joint pain or a joint disease, since there are several types of joint pains or diseases, this has led to the discovery of over 100 different types of Arthritis. Arthritis has been reported to be the leading cause of disability in America, though it is more commonly found affecting women, it actually gets to affect all, from young men to the old ones, though the older one gets, the more likely the possibility of having arthritis.
SYMPTOMS
There are some accompanying symptoms of arthritis, some of which just come and go while others could persist for a long time even as long as for years and progressively get worst over the time. Some of the symptoms includes;
1.swelling
2.pain at the joint
3.stiffness of the affected joint
4.Redness
EFFECTS
As said earlier Arthritis has been reported to be the leading cause of disability in America, there are as well some terrible effects and some of these are outlined below;
1. Chronic pain
2. Difficulty in walking
3. Difficulty in climbing stairs
4. Permanent changes in the joint such as knobby finger joints.
5. Some types could affect the skin, eyes, heart, lungs and the kidney.
TYPES
There are quite a lot of types but there are basically two major types which would be discussed here these are the osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis.
OSTEOARTHRITIS - this is a joint pain that arises due to the wear and tear of the cartilage found in the joint, the cartilage is more of a hard slippery tissue found at the end of bones that form joints, this cartilage help to absorb shock as well as reduce friction in the joint motion, but when it depreciates, the joint bones then grind against each other causing a striking pain which you definitely will not love.
RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS - This is Arthritis that develops due to the immune system attacking the synovial membrane lining of the joint, causing it to become inflamed and swollen.
SOME RISK FACTORS / CAUSES
there are some factors that could cause one to have arthritis, some of them are discussed below;
1. OBESITY - this has been attributed to be one of the likely causes of arthritis as the excess weight get to put a hell of a stress on the joints, and this could trigger arthritis.
2. AGE - it has been concluded that the older one gets, the higher the chances of suffering from arthritis, a proof is the fact that arthritis is commonly suffered by those who are above 65 years of age. But mind you, the young ones could also suffer from it too.
3. PAST JOINT INJURY - any past occurrence of injury at the joint could trigger arthritis, this is so as damage might have already been done to the cartilage or ligaments in the joint due to the injury.
4. SEX- it is more common with the female gender.
5. FAMILY HISTORY - there have been reported cases of situations whereby all or most members of a family get to suffer from arthritis, making it seem genetic.
TREATMENT
some of the possible treatment for arthritis includes; Medications, weight loss, physical therapy, Non-pharmacologic therapies, surgery for joint replacement, joint assisting aids e.t.c.
Hope you were Enlightend!!!
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