Arthritis Can Cripple Your Quality of Life

Arthritis Can Cripple Your Quality of Life

If you or someone you know has arthritis, then you know how hard it can make your life.  Arthritis comes in many different types. There have been over 100 known forms of arthritis.  Arthritis is a group of many different conditions that all engage in damaging the joints of the body.

The most common form of arthritis is Osteoarthritis.  Osteoarthritis is a degenerative joint disease that comes as a result of excessive trauma to the joints, infection of the joints, or simply by old age.

Osteoarthritis, as well as affecting the joints, decreases the amount of cartilage in your bones.  When Osteoarthritis attacks the cartilage, your bones try to repair themselves.  The bone then remodels itself and in the process, a bone cyst forms.

Osteoarthritis has many symptoms that can easily send a warning flag your way.  If you experience any type of stiffness or difficulty moving the joint and it causes pain, then you should consult your doctor because this may be an early sign of osteoarthritis.

The most common joints that are affected with Osteoarthritis are: the fingers, hip, spine, and knees.  If you feel like your fingertips are engorged but aren’t causing you any pain, don’t just brush it off – see a doctor immediately.

Osteoarthritis isn’t the only form of arthritis. There is also rheumatoid arthritis. Rheumatoid arthritis causes severe inflammation of your joints.  It can also strike various other organs in your body, making your immune system unknowingly attack your own body’s tissue.

The official term for this type of disease is “autoimmune,” where you have antibodies in your blood that target your own body.  Generally, when your own immune system attacks itself, inflammation occurs.

Luckily, while rheumatoid arthritis is still considered a chronic illness, many people claim to experience extensive periods of time without any symptoms.  The main symptom of rheumatoid arthritis is inflammation of any joint or organ.

Other symptoms include lack of appetite, fatigue, low energy, fever, or stiffness of your joints.  Many patients describe the stiffness as being most dominant in the morning hours.  Joints may also become tender or red while your symptoms have flared up.

Psoriatic arthritis (commonly known as psoriatic arthritis autoimmune disease or PSAAD) is known as one of the scariest forms of arthritis, along with rheumatoid arthritis, for the simple fact that the body ends up attacking itself to try to fight the arthritis off.

Psoriatic arthritis attacks your skin and joints.  Its name stems from the skin condition called psoriasis, which affects 4% of people in the United States.  Main symptoms of psoriatic arthritis include itchy, raised, reddish patches of skin.

The patches may even become flaky or scaly.  Psoriasis more often affects the tips of your elbows, knees, scalp, or near your genitals. Most patients who claim to have inflamed joints paired with psoriasis are often diagnosed as having psoriatic arthritis.

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