DISEASE AND CONDITIONS
disease and conditions
The most common rheumatic diseases and ailments have been classified as Osteoarthritis and Rheumatoid Arthritis.
Osteoarthritis: Also referred to as OA, it is a degenerative joint disease. It generally occurs in the hands, hips, and knees as a result of the change in underlying bone condition due to a breakdown of joint cartilage.
Let’s now take a look at some of the common osteoarthritis diseases that people complain about.
Joint Injury: Also known as post-traumatic arthritis, OA often happens due to an injury that could be the resultant effect of a bone fracture, dislocation, or any similar reason.
Bone Overuse: Overuse of bones such as knee bending, repetitive or constant stress on the joint, etc., increases the risk of OA.
Sex/ Gender: Women, especially those who are of 50 years or more, tend to suffer from OA. This is more commonly found in women than in men.
Obesity: People who weigh more than they should put extra stress on their joints – especially the weight-bearing joints such as the hips, the spine, the knees and so on. This also adds to the metabolic effects that increase the risk of OA.
Genetics/ Hereditary: People with family members already suffering from OA(even in the past) are at high risk of suffering from OA themselves.
Other Diseases: Certain conditions such as iron overload or excess growth hormone increase the chances of developing Osteoarthritis in people.
Rheumatoid Arthritis: Also referred to as RA, the disease is a condition in which the immune system attacks the person’s healthy cells. This could result in the person suffering from severe inflammation in joints, swelling, and pain. In certain cases, Rheumatoid Arthritis also affects other tissues in other parts of the body and problems could occur in organs such as the heart, lungs, and even the eyes.
Let us check out some common rheumatic diseases that people suffer from.
Fibromyalgia: This widespread pain occurs in the entire body and causes sleep problems, fatigue, and even causes mental and emotional distress.
Gout: When urate crystals start accumulating in the joints it causes inflammation and extreme pain. Urate crystals develop due to the result of uric acid in the person’s blood.
Psoriatic Arthritis (PsA): This chronic inflammation of skin and joints causes pain, stiffness, and swelling. Sometimes the condition occurs along with the chronic autoimmune skin disease Psoriasis.
Lupus: This chronic, autoimmune disease impacts various parts of the body after the body’s immune system mistakenly attacks itself as it cannot identify between the healthy tissues and bacteria and viruses.
Scleroderma: This is a chronic autoimmune connective tissue disorder that results in thick and hard skin and other tissues.
Juvenile Arthritis: Also known as Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis (JIA) or Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis is found in children. It causes permanent damage to the child’s joints and permanent physical damage or disability. This condition makes it very difficult and painful for the child to carry out routine activities such as walking, dressing up, playing, and so on.
