Arthritis is Common and Affects Day to Day Life

Arthritis comprises a diverse range of inflammatory illnesses impacting the joints. It stems from joint inflammation that instigates increased secretion of fluid and synovial tissue, resulting in discomfort and limited movements.
This condition can arise from infections or certain autoimmune diseases that directly affect all parts of the joint, i.e., bones and cartilaginous tissues attached to long bones, with significant muscle groups such as knees, elbows, and ankles being common afflicted sites. Its effects on daily life can vary between individuals, depending on arthritis's condition, progression, and severity. The very nature of the ailment, however, often makes daily activities and work difficult for patients, requiring specific adaptive strategies.
While osteoarthritis, psoriatic arthritis, juvenile chronic arthritis, and gout all fall under this condition, rheumatoid arthritis is the most common type. Despite being traditionally associated with advanced age groups, this debilitating condition can manifest anywhere in a person's lifespan.

What are the Causes of Arthritis?

Arthritis develops when an individual's immune system attacks the joints. The condition is diverse as there exist numerous types of Arthritis with various target joints in the body. Osteoarthritis typically occurs in scenarios where bones' cartilages at their ends break down, while rheumatoid Arthritis primarily involves synovial membrane inflammation.

While a concrete etiology for this ailment has not been established, certain factors upsurge one's predisposition, namely gout, and psoriasis, which may make an individual more vulnerable to rheumatoid Arthritis especially. Other factors entailing genetic determinants, aging processes coupled with injury or overuse equally augment an individual's likelihood of developing this infirmity.

Environmental factors like diet and smoking may spark certain forms of Arthritis. Also, ingestion of certain drugs, especially in high dosages and with no monitoring by a medical professional, raises the risk of developing arthritis.

Types of Arthritis

Osteoarthritis usually manifests due to long-term damage to cartilage, although it can also result from injury or trauma. In contrast, abnormal immune responses leading to inflammation and stiffness of healthy tissue around joints give rise to rheumatoid arthritis. Psoriatic arthritis is another iteration of this illness that may arise following psoriasis episodes, whereas gout derives from uric acid crystallization within joints. Juvenile chronic arthritis comprises a particularly challenging variant that often targets young children aged between five and sixteen years. It is characterized by prolonged tenderness and swelling surrounding specific joints.

Reactive arthritis presents through conjunctivitis as well as eye pain triggered by chlamydia overgrowth while also potentially causing bacterial prostatitis after the onset of Reiter's syndrome, followed by joint pain concentrated mainly on the ankle and toes.

Treating Arthritis

The optimal approach to addressing the debilitating effects of Arthritis entails mitigation of its symptoms, such as discomfort and immobility. To achieve this, one can employ physical therapy alongside supplemental medication for pain management, including NSAIDs or other medications operating via distinct mechanisms. The NSAIDs function by muffling arthritic pain by constraining the synthesis of prostaglandins and reducing inflammation that they elicit naturally.

These chemicals are virulent compounds released by the body that gives rise to a heightened sense of distress and exacerbation in affected individuals. Other medications combat arthritic adversity simply by obstructing elicited action from these ill-fated molecules within the confines of bodily tissues.