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Arthritis is a painful condition, and it’s also depressingly common. In fact, almost 350 million people around the world suffer from some form of arthritis. And the older you get, the more likely it is that you’ll end up facing it yourself. But arthritis can be a confusing disease to deal with, there are so many different types of arthritis after all.
That’s right. While you’re probably used to just talking about “arthritis,” the reality is that it’s not quite that simple. There are more than 100 different types of arthritis, all caused by different things and all affecting your body differently. But there are three types of arthritis in particular that are really worth talking about if you want a general overview of the topic. So what are these three types of arthritis? What causes them? And how are they treated?
The Three Major Types Of Arthritis
So, on a basic level arthritis just means “a swelling of the joints.” Your joints are protected by a layer of smooth tissue called the synovium. This is why your bones can actually move against each other at your joints without being damaged or leaving you in the kind of agonizing you would imagine resulting from your bones scraping together.
Arthritis results in this tissue becoming inflamed and swelling up with fluid. But there are many different reasons this happens, which leads us to the three major kinds of arthritis.
Osteoarthritis
Osteoarthritis is the most common kind of arthritis. In fact, almost 12 percent of people in the US above the age of 21 have osteoarthritis. And the fact that it’s so common is a result of what causes it, which is simply wear and tear. The more you use your joints, the more pressure you put on them, which eventually causes the tissue protecting them to wear away.
This is the cause of osteoarthritis. The synovium between your joints gradually wears away over the course of normal youth until it’s so thin that it can’t cushion your joints anymore and begins to swell up and cause you pain. Obviously, the older you are, the greater your risk of developing osteoarthritis, but things like being overweight can also contribute.
The most common way to treat osteoarthritis is with simple painkillers and anti-inflammatory drugs. Though in severe cases, your doctor might recommend a surgical joint replacement.
Rheumatoid Arthritis
Rheumatoid arthritis is slightly different. It’s actually caused by something called an autoimmune condition. Your immune system protects your body from viruses by sending something called antibodies to attack and destroy them. This system is a vital part of keeping us healthy.
But in an autoimmune condition, this immune system begins to attack your own cells, destroying them the way they would a virus or bacteria. This is what is happening for someone with rheumatoid arthritis, making it one of the hardest types of arthritis to treat.
And the result of this assault by the immune system is that the synovium between your joints becomes inflamed and starts to swell. This can be intensely painful and leave your joints stiff and aching. In severe cases, the fingers or toes can even start to bend outwards as the inflammation damages the joints.
Rheumatoid arthritis is usually treated in two ways. First, doctors focus on treating the inflammation as they would with any other of the types of arthritis. This treatment usually involves simple over the counter drugs like aspirin and ibuprofen. Though they might also prescribe more powerful corticosteroids.
Second, doctors may seek to limit the action of the immune system by prescribing drugs that reduce your immune system’s production of antibodies. This prevents them from attacking your joints. In the most severe cases, surgical joint replacement may also be necessary.
Psoriatic Arthritis
Psoriatic arthritis is also the result of an overactive immune system. But what separates it from rheumatoid arthritis is that unlike the other types of arthritis, it occurs primarily in people who have another condition.
Psoriatic arthritis usually affects people who have psoriasis and develops after this condition. It’s likely that the same immune response causing the psoriasis is attacking the joints of people with psoriatic arthritis. Besides the fact that it’s tied so closely to psoriasis, psoriatic arthritis is pretty similar to the other types of arthritis. It causes the same symptoms and is usually treated in the same way.
So, you tell us. Do you have one of these types of arthritis? How do you treat it? What’s it like? Let us know in the comments section.
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