Essay On Osteoarthritis And Rheumatoid Arthritis

Osteoarthritis (OA) is the most common joint disorder. It occurs when cartilage begins to break down or be worn away and the bone rubs together. As a result bony spurs and inflammation of the joint(s) occurs. Surrounding ligaments and muscles may also weaken or stiffen. Major risk factors are: genetics, excess weight, joint injuries, jobs that involve more than an hour of joint stressing activities like kneeling, and sports that involve direct impact on the joints, twisting, or throwing. Bleeding disorders, disorders that blood supply near joints, and other types of arthritis can cause osteoarthritis. Symptoms typically begin while one is middle aged and almost everyone shows some symptoms of OA by age 70. This is important to note because OA is seemingly inevitable for everybody. OA is not curable and typically gets worse with time, but the symptoms can be managed. Strength in weight bearing joints, the hip, the knee, and the ankle, is particularly important for prevention. Also important are not overusing joints and maintaining a normal body weight.

     Another type is Rheumatoid arthritis. It is what’s known as an inflammatory arthritis. It is the second most common form of arthritis, right behind osteoarthritis. It affects primarily the small joints in the hands and feet, causing crippling deformities. This is an arthritis that usually starts in middle-life or earlier. Estimates say one out of every hundred people, (females are two to three times as likely) suffer from it. It usually starts in the winter and after a common sickness, but it isn’t considered an infective arthritis. Nobody knows what causes rheumatoid arthritis. It could be some hereditary trait. Scientists think that rheumatoid arthritis may be an autoimmune disease (that means the body acts as though it were allergic to itself). The immune system gets mixed up and attacks normal joint tissue instead of the infection it is supposed to attack.

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is an autoimmune disease that causes chronic inflammation of the joints. While inflammation of the tissue around the joints and inflammatory arthritis are characteristic features of rheumatoid arthritis, the disease can also cause inflammation and injury in other organs in the

Rheumatoid arthritis affects the joints in the wrists and knuckles, though it may occur in any joint. It spreads throughout the body and damages connective tissues and organs. It will eventually, if unchecked, stiffen the joints in deformed positions. In this disease inflamed tissues erode the bones and cartilage.

Rheumatoid Arthritis(RA) is the most common type of autoimmune arthritis. RA is a progressive and debilitating musculoskeletal disorder that affects the joints symmetrically, causing a range of systemic effects. What it causes is still not well known; nevertheless, findings of new research points towards a believe that it is triggered by a defective immune system, which causes the release of inflammatory chemicals. These chemicals cause damage to cartilage and bone, usually affecting the wrists, the joints of the hand, including the knuckles, the middle joints of the fingers and feet. While this condition can affect any joints, besides, important body organs such as the eyes and the lungs can also be affected by the inflammation that occurs as a result of this chronic condition. Only in America 1.3 million of people are affected by this ailment, and 75 % of them are mainly women. Its onset usually occurs between fourth and sixth decades; however, RA can occur at any age("Diseases And

Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic syndrome that is characterized by inflammation of the peripheral joints, but it may also involve the lungs, heart, blood vessels, and eyes. The prevalence of this autoimmune disease is between 0.3% to 1.5% of the population in the United States (Feinberg, pp 815). It affects women two to three times more often than men, and the onset of RA is usually between 25 and 50 years of age, but it can occur at any age (Reed, pp 584). RA can be diagnosed by establishing the presence of persistent joint pain, swelling in a symmetric distribution, and prolonged morning stiffness. RA usually affects multiple joints, such as the hands, wrists, knees, elbows, feet, shoulders, hips, and small

Rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune inflammatory disease which causes inflammation on joints leading to disability. The deterioration is caused by constant attack in the synovium leading to synovial cells to a rough and grainy tissue eventually allowing the bones to crumble away. The disease currently has no cure and scientists are thriving to find a target specifically aiming at the bones.

“Rheumatoid arthritis is a type of chronic arthritis that occurs in joints on both sides of the body, such as both hands, both wrists, or both knees. This symmetry helps distinguish rheumatoid arthritis from other types of arthritis”. If a joint is deemed as arthritic that means that there is inflammation within the joint. Inflammation within a joint can cause swelling, redness, warmth and pain within that joint. Rheumatoid arthritis primarily affects the joints, but may also affect the skin, eyes, lungs, heart, blood, or nerves. Rheumatoid arthritis can present itself in many different ways. For some, joint symptoms develop gradually over several years, while others may develop quickly. Some people are affected by rheumatoid arthritis for a short

Osteoarthritis is the most common form of arthritis, affecting millions of people worldwide. It occurs when the protective cartilage on the ends of your bones wears down over time. Most people don't know they have it because the aches, tenderness, stiffness dont feel like arthritis until x-rays prove it. Just like regular arthritis, it affects the skeletal system. This is because it causes the bones to wear and then become stiff.Primary osteoarthritis, osteoarthritis not resulting from injury or disease, is mostly a result of natural aging of the joint. With aging, the water content of the cartilage increases, and the protein makeup of cartilage degenerates. Eventually, cartilage begins to degenerate by flaking or forming tiny crevasses.Secondary

Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic autoimmune disease that is characterized by inflammation and destruction of the joints (1). It usually affects joints asymmetrically, or on both sides of the body

Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic inflammatory disease affecting the joints, most often in the hands and feet. It results in swelling, stiffness, pain, and sometimes joint, bone, and cartilage destruction. Rheumatoid arthritis usually affects joints on both sides of the body equally, meaning if a joint on one side is affected, the same joint on the opposite side is affected as well. Rheumatoid arthritis belongs to a group of diseases called autoimmune disorders that affects joints. In rheumatoid arthritis, the immune system produces antibodies that attack the soft tissues lining of the joints. Eventually the cartilage, bone, and ligaments of the joint deteriorate, causing deformity, instability, and scarring within the joint

In osteoarthritis, the cartilage at the end of bones wears down and produces rough, hard, edges of bone which cause trouble. This generally begins after 40, and 16 million in the U.S. have it. In rheumatoid arthritis, the cartilage at the end of bones is destroyed and is replaced with scar tissue. Then swelling occurs, and the joints may eventually fuse together. While osteoarthritis only affects individual joints, rheumatoid arthritis ultimately affects all synovial joints in a person's body.

Rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune disease in the general family of lupus. For reasons that are not understood, in rheumatoid arthritis the immune system goes awry and begins attacking tissues, especially cartilage in the joints. Various joints become red, hot, and swollen under the onslaught. The pattern of inflammation is usually symmetrical, occurring on both sides of the body. Other symptoms include inflammation of the eyes, nodules (or lumps) under the skin, and a general feeling of malaise.

Rheumatoid Arthritis or (RA) is an autoimmune disease that attacks the joints and connective tissue. The result is inflammation that produces permanent damage in the joints. Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic syndrome that tends to be progressive and destructive as compared to Osteoarthritis or (OA), which is more of an age related disease caused by “wear and tear” of the joints. In contrast to (OA), rheumatoid arthritis is characterized by inflammation mostly of the joints, but is a general body disease.

OA is a musculoskeletal disease that causes chronic joint pain and reduced physical functioning (Laba, brien, Fransen, & jan, 2013). Osteoarthritis (OA) is a non-inflammatory disorder of synovial joints that results in loss of hyaline cartilage and remodeling of surrounding bone. OA is the single most common joint disease, with an estimated prevalence of 60% in men and 70% in women later in life after the age of 65 years, affecting an estimated 40 million people in the United States (Goodman & Fuller, 2009). Women are more commonly affected after the age of 55, almost everyone has some symptoms by the age of 70 (Tan, Zahara, Colburn & Hawkins, 2013, p.78). Osteoarthritis can be described radiological, clinical, or subjective.