“That Hurts” – Over 100 Types of Arthritis We Can Experience with Age
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There are an estimated 54 million people who suffer from some type of arthritis. This number should increase to 78 million by the year 2040 as the population gets older. While we think this pain is just normal aging, it is not normal even though it impacts so many people.
The term "arthritis refers to the 100 different diseases that share similar symptoms. These symptoms include pain, swelling, and limited mobility in joints and other parts of your musculoskeletal system. For older people, Osteoarthritis and Rheumatoid Arthritis are the most common.
Rheumatoid Arthritis
Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) is an autoimmune disease. With an autoimmune disease, your immune system starts to attack your body. The immune system is supposed to protect you against viruses and germs. According to WebMD, an overactivity means your system over attacks your body even though you have no foreign invader; an immune deficiency disease decreases the body's ability to fight invaders, causing vulnerability to infections.
Often you will have inflammation causing your tissue lining the inside of joints to thicken. The inflammation produces numerous symptoms that include decreased motion, pain around your joints, joints that feel warm to the touch, and swelling.
Often, before an official diagnosis, people will report to their doctor with complaints about their wrists, carpal tunnel, gout, shoulder issues, colitis, and psoriasis, among other conditions. Later, the doctor will be able to diagnosis RA.
Osteoarthritis
Osteoarthritis (OA) is the other primary type of arthritis impacting people as they get older. The breakdown of joint cartilage causes this pain. OA occur in any joint, but usually affects hands and weight-bearing joints such as the knee, hip, and spinal joints. The symptoms of OA tend to develop slowly over time and get worse as you get older.
The symptoms of OA can be mild or severe and include aching, painful, and stiff joints and swelling. The symptoms get worse after prolonged times of inactivity.
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