Arthritis Risk Factors and Joint Inflammation
The cartilage has a very important function of protecting the joint and absorbing the shock. Without such protection the joint would be very vulnerable to a minor injury, which would result in its damage and inability to function properly. If the cartilage fails to protect the joint, the two connecting bones rub against each other, which causes pain, joint inflammation, stiffness and swelling.
Joint inflammation may occur due to several reasons:
- The bone breaks.
- Some infection gets inside (because of a virus, for instance).
- A case of an autoimmune disease (the immune system gets confused and thinks one of your body parts is hostile and inferior).
- Your overuse your joints.
Once the source of the injury is dealt with, the joint inflammation is likely to go away, but that’s not always the case.
Sometimes the inflammation remains and gets worse over time, which causes severe pain and deformation. This is the case of chronic arthritis, the most common type of which is osteoarthritis (OA). OA becomes more and more probable with age and usually affects fingers, knees and hips.
Here is a list of other arthritis types:
- Gout
- Rheumatoid arthritis (in adults)
- Juvenile rheumatoid arthritis (in children)
- Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE)
- Ankylosing spondylitis
- Reiter's syndrome (reactive arthritis)
- Scleroderma
- Psoriatic arthritis
- Viral arthritis
- Gonococcal arthritis
- Tuberculous arthritis
- Fungal infections such as blastomycosis
- Other bacterial infections (non-gonococcal bacterial arthritis )
- Adult Still's disease
- Tertiary Lyme disease (the late stage)
Arthritis and a number of other most common disorders are expected to get only worse and by 2030 are likely to affect about 67 million of US citizens. Right now the number is 46 million, according to the information provided by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Such diseases as gout arthritis, juvenile rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis will be spreading faster and faster.
Another important arthritis risk factor that can be actually controlled is weight. How much you weigh determines how much pressure your knees and joints have to deal with every day, so if you have a lot of excessive weight, your joints are more vulnerable, and you are more likely to develop back, hip and knee osteoarthritis.
Age should also be considered. Osteoarthritis is commonly found in people older than forty five. According to some doctors, this disease is found in most people at this age and older; it’s just that in some individuals the symptoms are more obvious.
Sex is believed to be another important arthritis risk factor that may contribute to the development of arthritis. Women are about three times as likely to get this condition as men, so knowing your family medical history and learning more about the steps you can take to prevent the disease can be beneficial.
If you also suffer from other disorders, it increases your chance of developing osteoarthritis. Rheumatoid arthritis, especially if experienced at a young age, can later lead to osteoarthritis. Some kinds of colitis and psoriasis, as well as ulcerative colitis are also likely to contribute to the possibility of developing the disease.
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