Many of us know someone that is suffering from the effects of arthritis. Perhaps we have been told that we have arthritis ourselves? It may come as no surprise to many of us then that in a report released in October 2010 the Center for Disease Control states that 22% of the American public already suffer with this disease. With more than 200 different forms of the disease there are two main players in the arthritis war; osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis. While osteoarthritis is the most common there is a significant number of people that currently suffer with rheumatoid arthritis today and the number will continue to increase as the population ages.

Although both of these arthritis conditions have very similar symptoms, diagnosing them is important in the way that they are treated as individual complaints. With rheumatoid arthritis the cartilage usually degenerates and this occurs because of the body’s own auto immune system. Unlike osteoarthritis which occurs due to outside factors, rheumatoid arthritis is the result of the human body attacking its own cartilage.

People who are at the highest risk of rheumatoid arthritis are aged between 30 and 50 years. Interestingly, it is women who are more likely to suffer from both osteoarthritis as well as rheumatoid arthritis. This can be a factor directly related to hormones but there may be other causes at play here such as diet and stress levels. The ratio of women affected compared to men is around 3 to 1 which is a significant difference that requires further investigating.

Gout is another problem that affects the joints and it is now known that it is not a result of fortified wine in the system that directly affects the joints. It is actually caused by uric acid and when this crystallizes and does so in the joint fluid it can cause immense discomfort and pain. Inall of these instances consultation with your orthopedic doctor is highly recommended without further delay.