Monday, September 28, 2009

A Little Bit About Arthritis

By Mitchell Tyrell

Coming in a number of different forms, arthritis is a debilitating medical condition which affects the joints of the body. Pain and swelling in the area where the joints are damaged by arthritis are the most common symptoms. The joints are where bones connect together and pass the body which are most commonly affected by the disease are the elbows and knees.

Arthritis can be severely damaging to your lifestyle although many people live with it and it is just a matter of degree of how bad the arthritis can be. Osteoarthritis is the most common form and affect a large number of people. Although not exclusively, it tends to affect older people and especially people who have sustained an injury beforehand, maybe several years ago.

Another fairly common form of arthritis is rheumatoid arthritis. This occurs when the body's defence system stops working correctly and not only affects the joints are often other organs of the body as well plus the hands and feet. Other symptoms may include nausea or tiredness. There are a number of different conditions that can cause arthritis and the first place. Some of the most common of these is gout, lupus and viral hepatitis.

There are various ways of treating arthritis but it largely depends on a specific diagnosis that the patient has. It depends on the extent of the disease and exactly which type it is. Physical therapy and certain types and medications are often prescribed to people suffering from severe arthritis. There are also a number of natural remedies which are believed by many to work effectively.

Contrary to popular belief, arthritis is certainly not limited by your age. It can also affect children and affects men and women equally. There are around three hundred and fifty million people in the world who suffer from arthritis and in the United States alone, there are about forty million sufferers.

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