Who is affected With Arthritis?
Arthritis is a medical condition which is generally described as an inflammation of the joints. It may affect one or multiple joints. There are over 100 types of arthritis that have different causes and treatments. However the two most common types of arthritis are osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis. Arthritis affects the joints as well as the tissues surrounding the joints. The people suffering from this medical condition experience stiffness and pain around the joints. In United States, about 50 million adults suffer from arthritis which means approximately one in five people suffer from arthritis.
Symptoms for arthritis may be :
1. Pain can be observed in the areas as joints, back, finger, ankle, hands, neck, muscles, or wrist.
2. The severity of pain can vary from intermittent or sharp.
3. Pain may arise during sitting.
4. You may suffer reduced range of motion, muscle weakness or difficulty in walking.
5. You may suffer joint swelling, stiffness, or tenderness.
6. Fatigue and stiffness of neck can be felt.
7. Bony outgrowth can be seen in fingers or toes.
8. Physical deformities or redness can be observed on the area of affected joints.
Well the women are more affected by arthritis than men especially if they are obese and if their age is over 65 years. The people with family history of arthritis and people who had a joint injury in the past are more affected by the arthritis. However many people still get affected by the arthritis even if they do not carry such causes. In fact, nearly two-third patients of arthritis are below the age of 65 years.
Juvenile rheumatoid arthritis, which is a type of arthritis, affects around 300,000 children who are under the age of 18 years. In US it is ranked as one of the commonest childhood diseases.
In India, arthritis affects 15% of the population which means more than 180 million people in India are affected by the arthritis. This frequency is quite higher than any other well known diseases as AIDS, diabetes, and cancer.
Women are more prone to suffer from the arthritis than men and around 60% of the arthritis patients are women. But the gout which is also a type of arthritis is observed more in men. Nearly 6% of men suffer from gout nationwide. However it affects only 2% of women.
Other risk factors that have little contribution for causing arthritis are race and occupation. However arthritis is much bigger and its risk factors are not enough to illustrate it. It is so wide-spread that at present it is the leading reason of disability in the U.S.
Well you can stay away from the affect of arthritis if you are able to control some of the risk factors in your own. For instance, if you maintain your body weight and add appropriate exercise in your life then you can easily prevent arthritis. People who get early diagnose and treatments of arthritis are able to manage the condition of arthritis. However it will be difficult to control the symptoms in later stages of the disease. Therefore you must talk to your physician immediately if you observe any symptoms of arthritis in yourself. Your doctor will advise you medicines or physical or occupational therapy or Natural Treatment that will aid you to get relief from pain and maintain your joint mobility. Thus, you will be able to live your normal life comfortably.
