Understanding Arthritis

by National Institute on Aging

Arthritis Defined

Arthritis literally means joint inflammation, and it can affect joints in any part of the body. Joints are places in the body where two bones meet.

Many people use the term arthritis to refer to rheumatic diseases; however, the different kinds of arthritis comprise just a portion of the rheumatic diseases.

Arthritis is often a chronic disease, which means that it can affect you over a long period of time. Many forms of arthritis cause swelling, redness, heat, and pain.

Osteoarthritis

Osteoarthritis is the most common form of arthritis among older people.

Osteoarthritis occurs when cartilage, the tissue that cushions the ends of the bones within the joints, breaks down and wears away. In some cases, all of the cartilage may wear away, leaving bones that rub up against each other.

Diagram of areas affected by osteoarthritis. Symptoms range from stiffness and mild pain that comes and goes to severe joint pain. Osteoarthritis affects hands, low back, neck, and weight-bearing joints such as knees, hips, and feet.

Osteoarthritis is one of the most frequent causes of physical disability among older adults.

The disease affects both men and women. Before age 45, osteoarthritis is more common in men than in women. After age 45, osteoarthritis is more common in women. By age 65, more than half of the population has x-ray evidence of osteoarthritis in at least one joint.

Osteoarthritis affects only joints, not internal organs.

Quiz

1. Osteoarthritis occurs when bone breaks down and wears away.

FALSE is the correct answer. Osteoarthritis occurs when cartilage, the tissue that cushions the ends of the bones within the joints, breaks down and wears away.

2. Osteoarthritis affects hands, low back, neck, and weight-bearing joints such as knees, hips, and feet.

TRUE is the correct answer. Osteoarthritis occurs when cartilage, the tissue that cushions the ends of the bones within the joints, breaks down and wears away. This allows bones to rub together, causing pain, swelling, and loss of motion in the joint.

3. Osteoarthritis can cause disability.

TRUE is the correct answer. Osteoarthritis is one of the most frequent causes of physical disability among older adults. Many people with osteoarthritis find their movements or activities restricted because of stiffness, limited range of motion, and pain.

4. Osteoarthritis is the most common form of arthritis in older people.

TRUE is the correct answer. Osteoarthritis is the most common form of arthritis in older people. Rheumatoid arthritis and gout are two other kinds of arthritis that commonly occur in older people.

5. Osteoarthritis affects both men and women.

TRUE is the correct answer. Osteoarthritis affects both men and women. Before age 45, osteoarthritis is more common in men than in women. After age 45, osteoarthritis is more common in women.

Rheumatoid Arthritis

Stages of rheumatoid arthritis. Rheumatoid arthritis not only affects the joints, but may also attack tissue in the skin, lungs, eyes, and blood vessels. People with rheumatoid arthritis may feel sick, tired, and sometimes feverish.

Rheumatoid arthritis is classified as an autoimmune disease. An autoimmune disease occurs when the immune system turns against parts of the body it is designed to protect.

Rheumatoid arthritis generally occurs in a symmetrical pattern. This means that if one knee or hand is involved, the other one is, too. It can occur at any age, but usually begins during a person's most productive years.

Living with Rheumatoid Arthritis

Rheumatoid arthritis occurs much more frequently in women than in men. About two to three times as many women as men have the disease.

Quiz

1. Rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune disease.

TRUE is the correct answer. Rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune disease. An autoimmune disease occurs when the body's immune system mistakes the body's own healthy cells and tissues as invaders and attacks them.

2. Rheumatoid arthritis can affect tissue in the skin, lungs, eyes, and blood vessels.

TRUE is the correct answer. Rheumatoid arthritis not only affects the joints, but may also attack tissue in the skin, lungs, eyes, and blood vessels.

3. Rheumatoid arthritis occurs more frequently in men than in women.

FALSE is the correct answer. Rheumatoid arthritis occurs much more frequently in women than in men. About two to three times as many women as men have the disease.

4. Older people never develop rheumatoid arthritis.

FALSE is the correct answer. Rheumatoid arthritis can occur at any age.

5. Rheumatoid arthritis affects only the joints of the body.

FALSE is the correct answer. In addition to causing pain, swelling, and stiffness in the joints, rheumatoid arthritis may affect internal organs like the lungs, eyes, and blood vessels. Rheumatoid arthritis occurs much more frequently in women than in men.

Gout

Gout is a disease that causes the sudden onset of intense pain and swelling in the joints, which also may be warm and red. Attacks frequently occur at night and can be triggered by stressful events, alcohol or drugs, or the presence of another illness.

Before an attack, needle-like crystals of uric acid build up in connective tissue, in the joint space between two bones, or in both.

Uric acid is a substance that results from the breakdown of purines, which are part of all human tissue and are found in many foods. Early attacks usually subside within 3 to 10 days, even without treatment, and the next attack may not occur for months or even years.

Living with Gout Adult men, particularly those between the ages of 40 and 50, are more likely to develop gout than women, who rarely develop the disease before menstruation ends.

Sometime during the course of the disease, gout will affect the big toe in about 75 percent of patients. Gout frequently affects joints in the lower part of the body such as the ankles, heels, knees, or toes.

Quiz

1. Gout attacks are only triggered by uric acid buildup.

TRUE is the correct answer. Uric acid buildup is the underlying reason for all gout attacks. However, stressful events, alcohol or drugs, or another illness can trigger gout attacks in people who already have uric acid buildup.

2. Uric acid is a substance that results from the breakdown of purines.

TRUE is the correct answer. Uric acid is a substance that results from the breakdown of purines, which are part of all human tissue and are found in many foods such as liver, dried beans, anchovies, and gravies.

3. Gout does not usually affect the big toe.

FALSE is the correct answer. Sometime during the course of the disease, about 75 percent of patients will develop gout in the big toe.

4. Months or even years can pass between one gout attack and another.

TRUE is the correct answer. Early gout attacks usually subside within 3 to 10 days, and the next attack may not occur for months or even years.

5. Gout occurs more frequently in women than in men.

FALSE is the correct answer. Men are more likely than women to develop gout. Men are most likely to develop the disease between the ages of 40 and 50.

About the Author

www.nia.nih.gov
NIA, one of the 27 Institutes and Centers of NIH, leads a broad scientific effort to understand the nature of aging and to extend the healthy, active years of life. In 1974, Congress granted authority to form NIA to provide leadership in aging research, training, health information dissemination, and other programs relevant to aging and older people.