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Types of Arthritis

There are more than 100 types of arthritis, rheumatic diseases types and conditions that are related. The following are some of the major genres of Arthritis;

Rheumatoid Arthritis - is a type of condition where the body starts attacking its own joints and soft-tissues. This type of arthritis mostly affects the joints of the hands and feet, though at times the shoulders, neck and the elbow are also prone to attack. Rheumatoid arthritis is synonymous with joint swelling.

Arthritis from wear-and-tear (Osteoarthritis) - is a combination or result of several factors playing on the body. Loosely termed as 'wear-and-tear' Arthritis, the condition often worsens with damage in the surface of the joints. Osteoarthritis, causes stiffness in the body, limiting action and resulting in pain too. This is the most common type of arthritis, to attack the knee and hip joints.

Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis- As the name suggests, the Juvenile rheumatoid Arthritis, or JRA, mainly affects children and adolescents. This auto-immune condition sees any of the joints of the patient affected. The knee is the most commonly affected area in this type of Arthritis.

Gouty Arthritis- is a result of the accumulation of crystals made of urate crystals inside the joints. Crystals formed by high levels of uric acid in the blood. An excess of urate crystals in the joint areas cause gouty arthritis. This type of Arthritis mostly affects joints of the big toe and the knee. Gouty Arthritis has effective treatments and is curable.

Pseudogout Arthritis - Very similar to the Gouty Arthritis, the Pseudogout is a result of excessive calcium deposits in the joints. Pseudogout is common in the knee joints.

Lupus Arthritis - Like rheumatoid Arthritis, the Lupus arthritis too is an auto-immune condition where the body's immune system itself causes damage to the joints. The Lupus Arthritis mostly affects joints in the wrists, hands, and knees.

Spondyloarthropathies - is an uncommon type of the disease, which occurs in conditions such as Reiter's syndrome, psoriatic arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, and enteropathic arthritis. This type of Arthritis is associated with problems such as heel pain and back pain, apart from similar other conditions. This type of spondyloarthropathies is often related to the family genes.

Infectious Arthritis - Often conditions leading to infections in the joints cause inflammation leading to this type of arthritis called infectious arthritis. Other names for infectious arthritis include bacterial arthritis and septic arthritis is some common names for the Infectious Arthritis. Surgery is often used to treat this type of Arthritis.

Hemorrhagic Arthritis - At times, bleeding within the joint leads to inflammation of joints, or arthritic pain. Conditions like hemophilia, sickle cell disease, and pigmented villonodular synovitis lead to blood accumulation inside the joint leading to pain and swelling.

Risk Factors of Arthritis

There are certain factors, which research suggests shows greater risk factors, in those in whom Arthritis is probable or one may say that these factors highlight the eventuality of contracting Arthritis. Of these risk factors, some are modifiable to a certain extent so as to make life easier for the patients, while there are some other factors which cannot be modified and hence patients have to bear with them.

Some risk factors that cannot be changed:

• Certain types of Arthritis like, rheumatoid Arthritis and systemic lupus erythematous are associated with hereditary genes and hence cannot be altered.
• Age is a non changeable factor that contributes to Arthritis.
• Some types of arthritis are gender specific; an alarming 60 % of those affected with Arthritis are women. This is because women are more prone to these types of Arthritis.

Other factors may place certain susceptible individuals at higher risk for developing RA:

• Heavy long-term smoking is a very strong risk factor for RA, particularly in patients without a family history of the disease.
• Women who have a shorter fertility time (and so lower levels of reproductive hormones) may be at higher risk.
• History of blood transfusions.

Most studies have not found any association between silicone breast implants and rheumatoid arthritis or other autoimmune disease (except possibly Sjögren syndrome).

Risk factors of Arthritis that can be controlled:

• Choosing proper professions
• Controlling weight and obesity
• Precaution against joint Injuries
• Safeguarding against infection

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