subject: Major Types Of Arthritis [print this page] Arthritis is one of the leading causes of disability among people of different age groups although older people suffer more than the younger ones. It is a disease that restricts movements of joints because of pain and swelling.Rheumatoid arthritis is the most common serious inflammatory form of arthritis. It affects roughly 1 per cent of the population and is the prototypical autoimmune form of arthritis. Because it may do most of its damage in the first year, early diagnosis and aggressive therapy is critical. Left untreated RA may shorten life expectancy by as much as 18 years! Reiter's syndrome is a combination of urethritis, conjunctivitis, and arthritis.
Rheumatoid arthritis is an inflammatory condition that affects as many as one in every hundred people. It is caused by a malfunction in the body's defence systems and nobody has yet been able to discover why this happens. The genes that are responsible for the problem, have been identified - but the exact means by which the trouble occurs remains unknown. The disease is not hereditary, no increased risk has been found if you have a sufferer in your immediate family. In rheumatoid arthritis extra blood flow causes joints to become swollen and painful and in extreme cases can even permanently damage the joint. Indicators of juvenile rheumatoid arthritis are different for each child, and a variety of tests are needed to determine the appropriate diagnosis. Children suffering from juvenile arthritis have to ascertain the presence of the disease for over a month before it can be correctly identified.
Degenerative arthritis types are caused by excessive use of the joint. This means it is more often seen in the elderly than other age groups. However, people who use a joint a lot, such as sports players or factory workers that perform repetitive movements all day may also develop any of the degenerative arthritis types. The degeneration is caused when the tissues surrounding the joint become worn and unable to work properly. There are just as many possible causes for arthritis as there are possible variations of the disorder itself. A person may have had an injury 20 or more years earlier followed by a domino like chain of events that finally led to arthritis.
