Arthritis is a broad term used to indicate a number of joint problems. It includes pain, swelling, and inflammation in the joints or tissues surrounding the joint. This is a very common problem and reduces the mobility and movements of joints. Anyone suffering from arthritis hardly stays active and may suffer from anxiety too. There are many types of arthritis and causes which we will read further in this blog. 

Types of Arthritis

Arthritis refers to joint inflammation, pain, and swelling. It has several types and each type causes different symptoms and demands different treatment as well. Below are listed the common ones- 

1. Osteoarthritis- The most common type of arthritis, is also called “wear and tear”. In this, the cartilage of your joint gets broken due to sudden friction or repeated stress. 
2. Ankylosing spondylitis – This is the type of arthritis that affects your lower back region or spine. 
3. Juvenile arthritis (JA)- It is an autoimmune disorder in which one’s own immune system attacks the tissue surrounding the joint. It usually happens in children or young adults. 
4. Gout– It happens when there is too much uric acid in the blood and it starts affecting the joints. 
5. Psoriatic arthritis– Psoriasis is an autoimmune disorder of skin irritation or dry patches. This type of arthritis happens in people suffering from the same. 
6. Rheumatoid arthritis– It is another autoimmune disorder in which the immune system attacks the joint capsule, a tough tissue that wraps up the joint parts. 

Causes of Arthritis 

Different types of Arthritis have different causes, but here are some common causes that can lead to joint complications. 

1. Hereditary- Arthritis can pass on to generations, so if you have a family history of joint pain, this can potentially cause arthritis. 
2. Putting repeated stress on your joints can lead to arthritis. Also, lifting heavy in the gym can be another reason. 
3. Certain autoimmune diseases, infections or underlying diseases can also lead to arthritis. 

These were some common causes of arthritis. Now, let’s consider the causes of two most common types of this disease- 

1. Osteoarthritis- Cartilage is a soft and flexible connective tissue in your joints. It absorbs the shock and hence protects the joints from any type of stress. Osteoarthritis can happen when there is a decrease in the usual amount of cartilage around the joint. Also, a sudden jerk, stretch, or recurrent stress on your joint, can also lead to osteoarthritis. 
2. Rheumatoid arthritis– An autoimmune disorder when one’s own immune system attacks the tissues surrounding the joint. In this, a soft tissue called synovium that is responsible for nourishment and lubrication of joints is affected and hence, it adversely affects the bone and cartilage inside the joint. 

Symptoms of Arthritis

Joint pain, swelling and difficulty in movement are the most common symptoms of arthritis. It feels the worse when you get up after a long period of sitting or sleeping. 

Other symptoms of osteoarthritis include:

• Restricted motion that sometimes goes away after movement.
• A popping sound with bending. 
• Muscle weakness around the joint 
• Instability of the joint
• Bony growths in the fingers

Other symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis include:  

• Stiffness in the morning
• More than one affected joint
• Affects smaller joints like of feet and hands
• Fatigue
• Low-degree fever
• Inflammation of the eyes and mouth
• Inflammation of the heart muscle and blood vessels
• Low RBC count

Risk Factors for Arthritis

There are certain risk factors associated with arthritis. You can manage some of these while others are your gender, age, and genes, which you can’t do anything about. So, below listed are the risk factors for arthritis- 

1. Age- The risk of arthritis increases with age. As you get older, the power of the body to heal your tissues decreases, and hence, the risk increases. 
2. Sex- Arthritis is more prominent in men than women. Except for gout, it is likely to happen more in men. 
3. Obesity- Being overweight puts more weight on the knees and joints, so the chance of getting arthritis increases. You should always maintain your weight to avoid such problems. 
4. Genetic- If you have a family history of joint problems, your genes may be the risk factors themselves. You can’t do anything about it, but you can always be careful by maintaining other things.
5. Occupation- If your job includes repetitive bending of knees or lifting weights, you are at a greater risk of damaging the tissues around joints.  
6. Infections- Some bacteria or other microbes can potentially infect your joint and hence, you may develop arthritis. 
7. Joint injuries- Joint injuries can potentially lead to osteoarthritis and hence, you must be careful of the same. 
8. Smoking- Smoking is something that can worsen your autoimmune disorder and healing as well. Therefore, if you smoke, you may develop arthritis for one or another reason. 

Complications of Arthritis

If you don’t treat arthritis or the secondary risk factors, symptoms of arthritis can worsen which will not be favourable to us. Therefore, to avoid that, you must consider the root cause and work on treating it. Below listed are some of the complications you may face due to arthritis- 

1. Restricted movement- Arthritis will not let you move freely and this will keep you at a distance from socializing or doing any of your favorite activities. 
2. Obesity or weight gain Arthritis can have you not doing exercise or the physical work that will eventually affect your body weight. 
3. Metabolic disorders- Being overweight with having swellings or inflammation in your joints can lead to other serious metabolic disorders like type 2 diabetes, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, and so on. 
4. Inflammation in other parts of your body- Inflammation from joints can spread to your other body parts like eyes, skin, vessels, lungs, and blood. Thus, it can potentially infect them.
5. Reduced ability to work- Since most of the people that suffer from arthritis are middle-aged. Reduced movement, pain, and swelling can hence decrease your ability to work. 
6. Mental health- People suffering from arthritis can have adverse effects on their mental health. 
7. Risk of falls- You may suffer dizziness from the pain and medications of arthritis. It might be related to your muscle weakness too. 

Foods to avoid if you are suffering from Arthritis 

Certain food items that are high in fat, sugar, refined carbohydrates, and salt can worsen the inflammation and other symptoms of arthritis. Therefore, anyone suffering from arthritis must acknowledge what he/she is having. Here is a list of foods you must avoid- 

1. Red meat- Red meats tend to have high saturated fats and this can increase the inflammation, pain, and swelling in your joints. 
2. High-fat dairy products- Some high-fat dairy products- like milk, yogurt, cheese, and ice cream can cause problems to the current condition but on the other hand, some dairy products like kefir and probiotics can also help you manage or reduce your arthritis symptoms. 
3. Omega-6 fatty acids- Omega-6 fatty acids, widely present in sunflower, canola, nuts, meat, soybeans, and corns, are known to worsen the problem of inflammation and swelling, hence, you should avoid having these in your diet. 
4. High salt intake- Though salt plays a role in a number of metabolic functions in our body but consuming a high amount of salt can lead to increased inflammation and develop a risk of rheumatoid arthritis. 
5. High sugar food items- Having cold drinks, sweet tea, candies, chocolates, fruit juices, or anything that has a high amount of sugar can potentially worsen your swelling. Therefore, one must avoid eating sugary food items. 
6. Fried Food- Like we already know, fried food tends to have more saturated fats as well as omega-6 fatty acids, and both of them can have an adverse effect on the inflammation and other symptoms of arthritis. 
7. Canned foods- High sugar or salt used in canned foods can eventually be a trouble for your not-so-easy-going life. Therefore, keep a distance from such canned food items. 
8. Alcohol- Alcohol can trigger the symptoms of arthritis and also can develop the risk of gout and other types of arthritis. However, some types of alcohol, particularly red wide have anti-inflammatory properties since they have anti-oxidants, so will be beneficial if consumed in an appropriate amount. 
9. Processed foods- Most processed foods like frozen meals and packed snacks have substances that can worsen your inflammation. Therefore, having such products is never healthy. 
10.  Refined carbohydrates- When grains are processed into white flour or rice, the process tends to minimize the nutritional value of the food item and the remaining product can trigger inflammation. 

Therefore, having a good diet is important if you want to manage your inflammation or other arthritis symptoms, else, it will only worsen the on-going problems. 

Diagnosis of Arthritis

If you have symptoms of arthritis, do visit a doctor. He/she will ask you about all of your symptoms and the problems you are facing. Also, a physical examination will be done. 

• He will check the mobility and the range of motion in your joints. 
• He/ she will check the swelling and tender areas around the problem area or joints.
• He/she will evaluate your overall health to have an estimate of all kinds of possible causes and symptoms. 

Imaging exams like X-Ray, MRI, or ultrasound can further reveal about arthritis and its causes.

• Fractures or dislocations can be the reason for your joint pain. 
• Breaking of cartilage can lead to osteoarthritis. 
• Joint injuries can be another factor.
• Soft inflammation can also be a symptom of the same.  

Are any blood tests done to detect arthritis? 

The answer is no. Unless there are symptoms of gout or rheumatoid arthritis, no such blood tests are done for arthritis. It is mostly a matter of evaluation, physical examination, and imaging exams that are done to have some insights. 

Treatment of Arthritis

 There is no standard treatment to cure arthritis. Also, the way of treating or managing arthritis depends on the overall health of the individual and the severity of symptoms due to arthritis. Mostly, the focus will be on reducing the symptoms. 

Types of treatments may include-

1. Medications- Medications will be given to reduce inflammation, pain, and swelling. It will usually be the formulations that will be anti-inflammatory and painkillers. 
2. Physical Therapy- Physical therapy can help in improving mobility or reducing stiffness. It will help you in adjusting your daily activities to manage your disease. 
3.  Injections- Certain drugs are injected to reduce pain and inflammation in the affected areas. Also, shots may be given to lubricate the joints. 

Surgeries

1. Fusion- Two or more bones will be joined to immobilize the joint. It will reduce the pain that was caused by movement. 
2. Joint replacement- In some cases, the affected joint is also replaced with an artificial joint. This will not affect the mobility and joint function will be the same. 

How to prevent Arthritis? 

Prevention is always better than cure. To avoid any kind of health problems, it is very important to take care of your body. You are the controller and the only one who can keep you safe from any such diseases. Be careful of what you do, what you eat, and what you don’t do or eat. These small things can make a big difference to your life. Here are some tips with which you can prevent arthritis and a number of more diseases as well. 

• Do not smoke, drink or consume tobacco. 
• Maintain your body weight. 
• Have a balanced diet. Your diet must be according to your overall health and associated problems. 
• Don’t lift heavy. 
• Avoid joint injuries. 
• Being active is important. 

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