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About Arthritis
by Delfer Schmere
http://www.arthritishope.com

Arthritis is a disease which causes joint to become
inflamed. It can hit just one joint or it can cause pain in
several. Arthritis has close links with many other diseases
and often people diagnosed with one disease find that they
get arthritis into the bargain. Arthritis normally stays
with a sufferer for the rest of their life and can often
become worse.

There are two diseases under the banner of arthritis -
rheumatoid and osteoarthritis. The first of these is the
worse kind. The second kind is much more common though - if
you are over sixty you are more likely to have
osteoarthritis than not: some 80% of over 65s are
sufferers. Oftentimes this is seen as one of the inevitable
effects of getting a little older - think about the number
of time the joints will have been called into action in
sixty odd years. Osteoarthritis can be painful and plenty
of people find it very unpleasant, but it is much more
bearable than rheumatoid arthritis. Osteoarthritis starts
out with stiff joints, maybe along with a noticeable
limitation in the range of movement of that joint.
Sometimes it proceeds no further, sometimes the joint will
become stiffer and the movement will steadily diminish.

The chronic form of arthritis is rheumatoid arthritis.
Sufferers can be crippled and deformed by the disease, and
it is usually quite painful. The good news is that it is
significantly rarer than osteoarthritis - in the first
world only about three percent of the population are likely
to suffer from the disease. It does however strike earlier
- from around thirty years of age up to about fifty are the
most common ages for new onsets - and it seems to favor
women over men. Some of the symptoms are similar to the
milder cousin - stiff joints being an early sign. On top of
this, with rheumatoid arthritis joints swell and the
sufferer has other symptoms of tiredness and unwellness. It
is also possible that this arthritis affects eyes, lungs
and the skin.

The causes of both types remain a mystery to modern
science. Neither is there a cure. Of the little that is
known we can see that there is a higher incidence of
osteoarthritis in the severely overweight. Bring weight
under control places less stress on joints and does help
prevent the disease. Those already suffering with
osteoarthritis may find that shedding pounds relieves their
suffering somewhat. Osteoarthritis is treated with anti
inflammatory drugs and Aspirin. Steroids can be injected as
a later line of defense, but it is not encouraged to begin
with.

For the Rheumatoid form there is no known prevention,
though starting treatment as soon as the disease starts
does help. Aspirin and Paracetamol are also used but these
cannot be taken over a long period. However new anti-
rheumatic drugs have been developed which can be taken over
long periods.

Hot baths can help sooth arthritic pain and replacement
surgery means that plastic hip joints can be given to those
with arthritis who cannot walk. Physiotherapy can sometimes
help, as can other therapies such as hydrotherapy and
acupuncture. Taking fish oil supplements and herbal
remedies has also been known to help.

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