Arthritis is common; in fact, about 1 in 4 US adults have arthritis. Some behaviors and characteristics, called risk factors, increase an adult's likelihood of getting some types of arthritis or making it worse. You can control some risk factors, and others you cannot.
Arthritis is not just limited to older adults.
While arthritis is more common among older adults, arthritis develops in younger people too1: Among adults aged 65 and older, 50% report ever having been diagnosed with arthritis. Among adults aged 45 to 65 years, 31% report ever having been diagnosed with arthritis.
It most commonly starts among people between the ages of 40 and 60. It's more common in women than men. There are drugs that can slow down an over-active immune system and therefore reduce the pain and swelling in joints. These are called disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARDs) and include biological therapies.
The fact is, there is no sure way to prevent arthritis. But you can help reduce your risk and delay the potential onset of certain types of arthritis. If you have healthy joints right now, do all you can now to maintain mobility and function and avoid the pain and disability associated with arthritis.
Most forms of arthritis are thought to be caused by a fault in the immune system that causes the body to attack its own tissues in the joints. This may be inherited genetically. Other forms of arthritis can be caused by problems with the immune system or by a metabolic condition, such as gout.
Overview of Arthritis
In some types, other organs, such as your eyes, heart, or skin, can also be affected. Common symptoms of arthritis include pain, redness, heat, and swelling in your joints.
Physical activity is the best available treatment for OA. It's also one of the best ways to keep joints healthy in the first place. As little as 30 minutes of moderately intense exercise five times a week helps joints stay limber and strengthens the muscles that support and stabilize your hips and knees.
People who are overweight or obese are more likely to get knee osteoarthritis than people who are not overweight. Excess weight can also make knee osteoarthritis worse. Extra weight puts more stress on joints, particularly weight-bearing joints like the hips and knees. What you can do: Maintain a healthy weight.
If you have arthritis, participating in joint-friendly physical activity can improve your arthritis pain, function, mood, and quality of life. Joint-friendly physical activities are low-impact, which means they put less stress on the body, reducing the risk of injury.
You may feel restricted joint movement. You may feel your knee is not moving smoothly, or your elbow feels like not moving at all. These can be initial signs of symptoms. One of the most common warning signs of arthritis is morning stiffness.
In the study, the median survival rate for healthy adults was approximately 82 years while the median survival rate for people with RA was approximately 77 years.
Arthritis – including osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis and 'other type and unknown' – affects an estimated 3.6 million (15%) Australians, based on self-reported data from the ABS National Health Survey 2017–18 (ABS 2018).
Nevertheless, with the right treatment, many people can live past the age of 80 or even 90 years while experiencing relatively mild symptoms and only minor limitations on day-to-day life.
Symptoms of arthritis
joint pain, tenderness and stiffness. inflammation in and around the joints. restricted movement of the joints. warm red skin over the affected joint.
Physical inactivity: Is associated with increased severity and progression of many types of arthritis. Joint Injuries: Damage to a joint can contribute to the development of osteoarthritis in that joint. Smoking: Is linked to the progression and severity of rheumatoid arthritis and systemic lupus erythematosus.
"RA, like many autoimmune diseases, is quite heritable and unfortunately tends to cluster in families," says Hu. "Many genetic studies have gone into identifying genes that predispose individuals to the risk of RA."
Is it possible to reverse arthritis? A person cannot reverse arthritis, but they can manage their symptoms. Arthritis commonly causes joint inflammation with swelling, pain, and stiffness. According to the Arthritis Foundation, almost 60 million adults and 300,000 children have some form of arthritis.
Counsel for low-impact physical activities—Walking, biking, swimming, and water activities are all good non-drug ways to ease arthritis pain and are safe for most adults. These forms of exercise can also improve joint function and improve mood.
Rheumatoid arthritis can be one of the most painful types of arthritis; it affects joints as well as other surrounding tissues, including organs. This inflammatory, autoimmune disease attacks healthy cells by mistake, causing painful swelling in the joints, like hands, wrists and knees.
Adults with arthritis can decrease pain and improve function by being at a healthy weight. Weight loss is a non-drug way to manage arthritis and ease joint pain.