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Arthritis Explained - What You Want to Know.
Arthritis is a condition that affects the musculoskeletal system including the joints, causing stiffness, inflammation, pain and eventually damage to the joint cartilage. The joints are protected by tissue called cartilage which ensures the ends of bones don't rub against one another. They are like the glands in our body and the cells they are made of are called chondrocytes. All chondrocytes have a life cycle and when they die, new ones are made to take their place.

The body can handle only a certain amount of cartilage cell replacement when there is inflammation the cartilage cells need much faster replacement which sometimes cannot be handled by the body. You will find this especially true if an injury has ever occurred or if there aren't enough of the necessary nutrients within the body to repair the joint. Damage from this condition can also cause joint weakness, instability and deformities and interrupt daily activities. Typically, arthritis is treated with medication, physical therapy, and changes to the person's lifestyle. If an arthritis patient does not get any relief from medication and other forms of therapies then the last option they can resort to is joint replacement.

Arthritis is mainly categorized into two types, 'localized' and 'generalized' depending on which areas are affected (body or the joints). They are then sub categorized. Localized conditions are bursitis and tendonitis and they affect the soft tissues surrounding the bones and joints. A sub-category of localized arthritis affects one or some of the joints like hip or knee joints. It could also be that the patient is affected in a more general sense with no inflammation or signs of swelling. In this condition there is no evident kind of damage caused to the joints and is known as Fibromyalgia. This kind of arthritis is widespread among people.

Rheumatoid arthritis is an example of a condition under this category, as well as gout, and psoriatic arthritis. Rheumatoid arthritis is an example of a condition under this category, as well as gout, and psoriatic arthritis. The other kinds of arthritis are vasculitis (any organ); polymyositis (muscles); and systemic lupus erythematosus (skin, kidneys, or other organs).

Within the United States, arthritis as well as several related illnesses are known to be the cause of major disability and it cost over one hundred and twenty four billion dollars each year in indirect expenses and medical care expenses. Individuals can help prevent osteoarthritis by following a few simple steps: Maintaining appropriate weight and consuming fresh fruits and vegetables as a good source of vitamins c and d. There should also be sufficient calcium intake, 1000-1500mg per day for adults. In addition regular, moderate exercise can help preventing sports injuries that can aggravate a condition.

However a person may suffer from multiple kinds of arthritis, in the United States of America around forty six million adults and abut three hundred thousand children suffer from hundred medical conditions. As early on as infancy, this condition can begin, even though it is most commonly seen in adults that are over the age of sixty, in the primary form of osteoarthritis. The number of people suffering out of this condition is increasing proportionally with the increasing average age of the American population. With old age setting in people suffering with arthritis is increasing day by day.

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TAGS : Arthritis Explained - What You Want to Know.

Last update by Scott Goodman , Wednesday, September 10th 2008

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