Ruminations: Arthritis Causes Body Inflammation

"Early in the disease process, the body has resources to repair detrimental changes within an OA [osteoarthritis] joint."
"As the disease progresses, the body's repair system can no longer keep up with these processes, resulting in the tissue damage that is called osteoarthritis."
Osteoarthritis Research Society International (ORSI)

Arthritis

Arthritis is a common malady affecting an average twenty percent of any population, a generic term referring to over 200 diseases all characterized by the same symptoms: Inflammation in the joints and other connective tissue leading to pain and stiffness. It is a lifetime affliction that can affect anyone in any age group. The two broad categories of Arthritis are known as Osteoarthritis and Inflammatory Arthritis under which all other sub-groups fall.

The most common form is Osteoarthritis, afflicting more people than all other types of Arthritis in combination. According to the ORSI, the condition reflects the body's incapacity to repair damaged joint tissue, involving the wearing down of tissue and cartilage in affected areas of the body. Breakdown of tissue within the joints eventually leads to bones on either side of the joint abrading each other which causes bone spurs, swelling and pain which results in limiting mobility.

Rheumatoid Arthritis

Knees, hips, hands, feet or spine represent the most commonly affected areas, with Osteoarthritis being more common in women. Risk factors involved in developing these conditions include genetics and obesity. People over age 50 are most at risk of developing Osteoarthritis, but any age group can be vulnerable to its onset. Different people experience Osteoarthritis symptoms variously and study by X-ray of an affected area may not particularly correspond to the level of pain or discomfort experienced.

No cure exists for any category of Arthritis, although joint replacement surgery can be indicated to restore function in serious cases. Exercise and maintenance of a healthy weight can help in symptom relief. All other types of Arthritis are encompassed by Inflammatory Arthritis, categories whose causation is inflammation of the joint; instead of a joint's cartilage breakdown. Most forms of IA are classified as autoimmune diseases, the most common form of which is Rheumatoid Arthritis.

When the body's immune system starts to attack healthy tissue erroneously, causing inflammation, joint pain and limited mobility this is an expression of Rheumatoid Arthritis. RA can initiate in a few joints, then spread swiftly to other body parts if diagnosis and treatment fail to follow at an early enough stage in its progress. Inflammation that results from RA can in some instances, affect eyes lungs, heart or nerves.

Arthritis Foundation

Risk factors associated with the development of RA include sex (women being more susceptible), age, family history and hormonal changes. As well, a common risk factor associated with severe cases of RA is smoking. Many body parts can be affected by RA, with the inclusion of several organs where symptoms vary from case to case. Joint pain, swelling and stiffness represent common early symptoms of RA development.

Over a hundred forms of Inflammatory Arthritis exist, with Lupus and Gout two commonly recognized diseases falling under the IA umbrella, along with other common diseases, like: