by Carl Marshall

Created on: June 01, 2011   Last Updated: June 05, 2011

Arthritis is inflammation of the joints and bones. The most common symptoms are pain and stiffness. It may present itself due to the presence of many different disease types including psoriasis and rheumatic fever. Although over 100 different forms of arthritis are known to exist, the vast majority are rare. Three varieties of arthritis of relatively high incidence are osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis and gout.

Osteoarthritis

This is the most common cause of painful joints. It affects over 20 million people in the US. It used to be considered that this disorder was due only to the aging process because of the stress on weight bearing joints in advanced age. Although it is within the realms of possibility that some cases have a genetic cause, it now seems highly likely that many cases can be delayed or even prevented due to lifestyle adjustments.

In this type of arthritis, the joint cartilage wears away. Consequently, this leads to friction between the bones and the development of cysts. The joint may fill with fluid, become swollen and range of physical motion of the joint is reduced significantly. Often, it is the knees and hips which are affected. Some patients have symptoms which are intermittent whilst others suffer consistently.

Studies have shown that people who are overweight are more likely to develop osteoarthritis. Also, traumas can be a contributing factor, for example those who engage in high impact or contact sports have a higher risk.

A meta analysis by the University of Aberdeen, 2009, showed that dietary supplementation with glucosamine sulphate is clinically effective in treating osteoarthritis of the knee.

Rheumatoid arthritis

This is inflammation of the fibrous connective joint tissue. There can also be damage to the cartilage. It is an autoimmune disease where the body's immune system attacks itself. The precise cause is unknown, although it is 3 times more common in women than in men. Smoking also increases risk. Approximately 1% of the world population have this disorder.

Most commonly there is pain, swelling, heat and stiffness in the knuckles, wrist and elbow joints.

There is no cure but drug therapy is available, and sometimes surgery. It is usually beneficial to keep moderately active.

Gout

This type of arthritis is related to the build up of uric acid. Certain food contain purines, which is broken down and results in the waste product uric acid. If the kidneys fail to get rid of uric acid then sometimes this causes the build up of uric acid crystals in the fluid of the joints. One of the frequent joint which is affected is the first joint of the big toe. A definite diagnosis requires a sample of joint fluid to be analysed. A treatment program will involve taking medication to lower the level of uric acid in the body combined with appropriate pain killers.

References:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19903416

http://www.cdc.gov/arthritis/basics/rheumatoid.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arthritis

http://www.nhs.uk/conditions/arthritis/Pages/Introdu ction.aspx

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