here are some signs that you may have arthritis

there’s a pretty good chance that if you don’t suffer from arthritis yourself, someone close to you does. one in five canadians live with arthritis: according to the arthritis society , it is canada’s most common chronic health condition for which there is no cure.

osteoarthritis (oa)
osteoarthritis is the most common form of arthritis, and affects more canadians than all other forms of arthritis combined.

formerly thought of as simply the result of wear and tear as we age, osteoarthritis research society international (orsi) has defined the condition as the body’s inability to repair damaged joint tissue — though it does involve the wearing away of tissue and cartilage in the affected area.

according to the orsi , the breakdown of that tissue within the joints can eventually lead to bones on either side of the joint rubbing together, causing bone spurs, swelling, pain and limited mobility.

symptoms of osteoarthritis vary greatly from person to person, and the orsi states that x-rays of an affected area may not always correspond to the level of pain or discomfort the patient may be experiencing. in some instances, severe structural changes to the joint may not even result in much pain.

there is no cure for osteoarthritis other than joint replacement surgery . however, exercise, maintaining a healthy weight and making sure not to overuse joints can help relieve symptoms .

inflammatory arthritis (ia)
inflammatory arthritis encompasses all other types of arthritis. these types of arthritis are caused by inflammation of the joint, rather than a breakdown of the joint’s cartilage.

rheumatoid arthritis occurs when the body’s immune system begins to mistakenly attack healthy tissue – causing inflammation, joint pain and limited mobility.

according to the arthritis society , ra can start in just a couple joints and spread quickly to other parts of the body if not treated or caught early enough. in some cases the inflammation resulting from ra can affect the eyes, lungs, heart or nerves.

as with osteoarthritis, risk factors associated with the development of ra can include sex (it’s more common in women), age (more common in older people), family history and hormonal changes. smoking is also a common risk factor associated with more severe cases of ra.

as ra can affect many parts of the body including several organs, symptoms greatly vary from case to case. but joint pain, swelling and stiffness are some common early symptoms of ra development.

it may take a considerable amount of time, lab tests, blood tests or visits with a rheumatologist to receive an ra diagnosis as the symptoms overlap with many other diseases.

though there is no cure for ra either, there are several effective pharmacological treatments.

other forms of inflammatory arthritis
there are more than 100 forms of inflammatory arthritis. lupus and gout are two commonly known diseases that actually fall under the ia umbrella, as do other common diseases such as:

• rheumatoid ankylosing spondylitis (affects the spine)
• psoriatic arthritis (typically occurs in the fingers)
• juvenile arthritis (affects young people)
• infectious arthritis (occurs as the result of an infection)
• fibromyalgia

for all kinds of arthritis, treatment is much more effective if the condition is caught early. here is a list of the different forms.

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here are some signs that you may have arthritis

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