Many Diseases Go by the Name ‘Arthritis’

Here are the common forms of arthritis and related diseases:

* Osteoarthritis is one of the most common diseases that causes the breakdown of cartilage in joints, leading to joint pain, stiffness and sometimes destruction. It most commonly occurs in the hips, knees, spine and fingers. The tendency to develop osteoarthritis increases with age, and affects men and women. Heredity plays a role in the development of osteoarthritis, as does obesity and overuse or injury to the joints.

* Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is an autoimmune disease that causes inflammation in the lining of the joints and / or other internal organs. RA tends to persist for many years, typically affects many joints throughout the body and ultimately can cause damage to cartilage, bone, tendons and ligaments. Anyone can get RA, including children and the elderly. However, the disease usually begins in the young to middle adult years and affects three times as many women as men.

* Systemic lupus erythematosus (lupus or SLE) is an autoimmune disease that affects joints, muscles and other parts of the body, including the skin, kidneys, nervous system, lungs and heart. Lupus affects women about eight to 10 times more often as men. In most cases, symptoms first appear in women of childbearing age, but lupus can affect children and older people.

* Scleroderma is a chronic disease that causes the skin of the face, hands and arms to thicken and harden because of the body’s overproduction of collagen. It can also affect the joints, blood vessels and internal organs. Scleroderma affects women three to five times more often than men. It is sometimes seen in children and the elderly, but usually starts between the ages of 30 and 50.

* Sjogren’s Syndrome is an autoimmune disease that causes dry eyes and dry mouth; it can also affect other organs in the body. Sjogren’s Syndrome occurs in two forms, primary and secondary. Primary Sjogren’s occurs by itself and is not associated with other diseases. Secondary Sjogren’s occurs with rheumatic diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, polymyositis and some forms of scleroderma. Ninety percent of the people affected are women.

* Fibromyalgia Syndrome is a common condition involving chronic widespread muscle pain and fatigue associated with abnormal sleep patterns. This condition is referred to as a syndrome because it is a set of signs and symptoms that occur together. Fibromyalgia does not affect the joints or cause deformities of joints. It is a form of muscular rheumatism.

* Ankylosing Spondylitis (AS) is a type of arthritis that primarily affects the back or spine. In AS, the joints and ligaments that normally permit the back to move and flex become inflamed. The inflammation produces joint pain and stiffness, usually beginning in the lower back. Symptoms of AS first appear most frequently in men between the ages of 16 and 35.

* Gout is a disease that causes sudden, severe episodes of pain and tenderness, redness, warmth and swelling in some joints. It is caused by uric acid crystals deposited in the joint and other tissues. It usually affects one joint at a time--often the large joint of the big toe. Gout can be controlled with medication and diet.

* Psoriatic arthritis is a condition that causes pain and swelling in some joints and scaly skin patches on some areas of the body. Psoriatic arthritis is related to psoriasis, a chronic skin condition, and affects men and women, usually between the ages of 20 and 50.

* Bursitis, tendinitis, carpal tunnel syndrome and other soft tissue rheumatic syndromes affect the tissues and structures that surround a joint and produce pain, swelling or inflammation.

* Juvenile Arthritis usually begins by age 5 or in the early teens. About 300,000 children are affected in the United States. Children can be diagnosed with any of the adult forms; the most common is juvenile rheumatoid arthritis. As in adults, childhood arthritis can be mild, or severe, disabling and life-threatening.

Source: Arthritis Foundation