Arthritis – What is it?

Despite the fact that it is often referred to as though it was a single disease, arthritis is in reality an umbrella term that is used to refer a group of over 100 medical conditions, which in a combination affect almost 46 million adults and 300,000 children in the United States alone. Whereas osteoarthritis (OA), the most common form of arthritis majorly prevails in people over 60 years of age, various forms of arthritis could begin in the infancy stage itself. Few forms of arthritis can affect people in their adolescence or early adult years the same as they are commencing their careers and families and for a few others it could begin when they are at the peak of their careers and child rearing years.

The common factor of these 100-plus medical conditions is that all of it affects the musculoskeletal system and more particularly the joints (where two or more bones meet). Joint problems caused by arthritis could include stiffness, pain, inflammation as well as injury to joint cartilage (which is the tough, smooth tissue that wraps the ends of the bones that enables them to slide against each other) and surrounding structures. Damages such as these can result in weak joints, visual deformities and instability and based on the spot of joint involvement, could hinder with the most elementary daily activities for instance, climbing stairs, walking, using a computer keyboard, brushing teeth or cutting food.

However, in a lot of people who have arthritis, joint involvement is not the only area of affected. Several forms of arthritis are categorized as systemic, which means that it could affect the entire body. In diseases such as these, arthritis could cause harm to almost any bodily organ or system, which includes the heart, kidneys, lungs, skin and blood vessels. Conditions related to arthritis mostly affect the bones and the muscles.

Collectively, arthritis and its related conditions are a chief cause of disability in a lot of people in the United States that costs the economy more than $124 billion a year in terms of medical care and indirect expenses for example lost production and wages. This also costs a lot of people to lose their physical abilities, health and in most cases their independence. If things do not change, the situation could worsen. With aging population, the number of people affected with arthritis is rising.