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Arthritis means an inflammation of the joints. It comes from the Greek word “arthron” meaning joint and “itis” meaning inflammation. Arthritis mainly affects the musculoskeletal system especially the joints. This is the predominant factor of disability in the elderly. Arthritis is the term that is used for any kind of condition related to joint pain and damage to the joints. Let us know how this disease is caused.
Arthritis is caused by a pain in the joints. For this we need to understand how a joint works. A joint is the place where the movement of two bones is related to each other. The ligaments are tissues that hold two bones together. They are elastic band like structures that keep the bone in position and allow the muscles to relax or contract and thus enable movement of the joints. The cartilage is a tissue that covers the surface of the bone. This tissue helps to ease the friction in the movements in the joints so that there is no friction between them. The cartilage cover enables smooth movements in the joints painlessly. There is a capsule that encircles the joints. The joint cavity is the space inside the joint. This cavity has got a fluid called the synovial fluid. This fluid is present to keep the joint and the cartilage the well nourished. This fluid is protected by a membrane called synovium. This membrane lines the joint cavity.
Arthritis is also a condition that appears along with other diseases like:
- Mediterranean fever
- Hemochromatosis
- Henoch-Schoenlein purpura
- Hyper immunoglobulinemia D
- Inflammatory bowel disease
- Lupus erythematosus
- Lyme disease
- Vasculitis
Arthritis And Malfunctioning Of The Joints
When there is a small problem in the joints, the whole system gets disrupted. The problems in the joints are mainly related to the type of arthritis that we have. They are:
- Sometimes the cartilage could wear out
- Sometimes the pain could be due to a lack of fluid
- Sometimes the body attacks its own immunity. This condition is called autoimmunity.
- At other times it could be due to an infection.
- Combination of all factors.
Causes Of Arthritis And Arthritis Types
The causes of arthritis are not yet well known. Normally the causes are seen to be either genetic or situational. There are three types of arthritis and the arthritis causes are related to these types. They are:
- Osteoarthritis: This type of arthritis affects the bones. This is a degenerative arthritis which involves abnormalities in the joints. There is a lot of pain in the joints; stiffness, locking and the arthritis causes are mainly :
- Hereditary
- Developmental causes
- Metabolic reasons
- Mechanical reasons
Osteoarthritis leads to a loss of cartilage. The surfaces of the bone get lesser cartilage cover and the bone is thus exposed and gets damaged. So the movement gets decreased and the ligaments relax. The condition is very painful and troublesome.
- Rheumatoid arthritis: This condition occurs when there is an autoimmune problem. This causes a lot of inflammation in the joints.
Sometimes this leads to anemia. This compounds the condition even more. The rheumatoid arthritis causes are seen more in women, people who smoke cigarettes and Native Americans. The causes of rheumatoid arthritis are also found to be connected to the tissue Major Histocompatibility Complex or the MHC antigen HLA-DR4.
- Septic arthritis: This occurs when the joint gets infected. This is caused by bacteria. Viral, bacterial or mycobacterial infection also cause arthritis. The commonly affecting bacteria that are the causes of arthritis of the septic nature are staphylococcus aureus, streptococci, neisseria gonorrhoea, escherichia coli, mycobacterium tuberculosis, salmonella, brucella to name a few.
- Gout: This is caused by the accumulation of uric acid in the joints. This is the main feature or sometimes the secondary feature to many health conditions like diabetes, hemolytic anemia, leukemia, metabolic syndrome etc. The primary gout is caused due to a condition where the diet could be high in protein, fat, alcohol. Sometimes gout is also caused due to poisoning of lead in the system.
- Juvenile idiopathic arthritis: This is the most common form of continuous arthritis found in children. The causes for this are unknown. But there is enough proof that it could be caused by environmental and genetic factors. This is seen in both males and females. This occurs any time from preschool age to teenage. This is considered to be a genetic disorder.
