The painful and debilitating condition that is arthritis

Sadly, children are not immune to arthritis. Juvenile idiopathic arthritis is the most common type of arthritis in kids and teens. It typically causes joint pain and inflammation across various parts of the body, including in hands, hips, elbows, and knees. The condition can strike anywhere between the ages of six months and 16 years.

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Tackling arthritis -

Unfortunately, there's no cure for arthritis, but there are numerous treatments available that can help slow it down. If you suffer from the condition, it is important for your doctor to diagnose the type of arthritis you have so that you can get the proper treatment.

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Treating osteoarthritis -

Regular exercise and, if you're tipping the scales, losing weight can help manage mild symptoms of osteoarthritis, the most common form of arthritis. Wearing special devices—a knee support brace, for example—to reduce the strain on your joints during your everyday activities is also recommended.

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Physiotherapy -

If your symptoms are more severe, additional treatments such as prescribed painkillers and a structured exercise plan incorporating physiotherapy may be required.

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Surgery -

In extreme cases where damage to the joints is severe and treatments haven't worked, surgery may be performed to repair, strengthen, or replace a damaged joint.

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What is arthritis? -

Arthritis is a disease that affects your joints. It's a common condition that causes pain and inflammation in the affected area, symptoms that are also characterized by redness, heat, and swelling.

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Osteoarthritis -

Osteoarthritis (OA) is the most common form of arthritis. It usually develops in people in their mid-forties.

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A degenerative joint disease -

Osteoarthritis is sometimes referred to as a degenerative joint disease, associated as it is with the "wear and tear" of joints in the hands, hips, and knees.

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Who's most at risk? -

Women are more prone to OA than men. It's also prevalent in those with a family history of the condition.

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Other risk factors -

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Cartilage breakdown -

With OA, the cartilage within a joint begins to break down. This in turn changes the structure of the underlying bone.

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A painful process -

Over time, the cartilage starts to roughen and thin out, meaning that the tendons and ligaments have to work harder. Things begin to get painful.

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Formation of osteophytes -

Later still, pain and discomfort worsen as stiffness and swelling kick in. This eventually leads to the formation of bony spurs called osteophytes.

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Reduced function and disability -

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Rheumatoid arthritis -

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is an autoimmune and inflammatory disease and the second most common form of the disorder.

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A debilitating disorder -

While less common than osteoarthritis, RA is still a painful and no less debilitating condition.

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Healthy cells under fire -

In RA, your immune system erroneously attacks healthy cells in your body, causing painful inflammation in the affected parts of the body.

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Who's at risk? -

Rheumatoid arthritis often presents itself in a person anywhere between the ages of 30 and 50. Again, women are more susceptible to the condition than men.

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Early stage RA -

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Joint damage -

In a joint with RA, the lining becomes inflamed, causing damage to joint tissue. This can then spread across the area, leading to further swelling and a change in the joint's shape.

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Bone and cartilage breakdown -

The alternation in the joint's contours, plus damage to joint tissue, often causes the bone and cartilage to break down.

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Risk of deformity -

When this starts to happen, pain becomes chronic. The sufferer may also experience deformity in the affected area, and often unsteadiness if the arthritis has attacked the feet and knee joints.

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The painful and debilitating condition that is arthritis

This common ailment still has no cure

12/04/24 | StarsInsider

HEALTH Human body

According to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 58.5 million people in the United States alone have arthritis. That's 24% of all American adults! Osteoarthritis, the most common form of the condition, affects 7% of the global population (more than 500 million people worldwide), with women disproportionately affected by the disorder. Most forms of arthritis are thought to be caused by a defect in the immune system that causes the body to attack its own tissues in the joints. But it can also result from an injury or be associated with other joint-related conditions. It's a health issue that currently has no cure, though it can be managed and treated.

So, what exactly is arthritis, and how do you recognize its symptoms? Click through and find out more about this painful and debilitating medical malady.