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Arthritis Explained - What You Want to Know.

By: Scott Goodman. Arthritis is a disease of the musculoskeletal system and the damage to the joints can be bad as time goes by, accompanied by swelling and pain. Each bone is covered with a living tissue that covers the ends of the bones and guards them from rubbing against each other; this tissue is known as the Cartilage. Therefore, because of this, cartilage has the exact same needs as the other glands and organs; cartilage cells are referred to as chondrocytes. The chondrocytes die, they are replaced with new ones and the life cycle goes on.

When there is long time inflammation, cartilage cells are destroyed and die faster than the body's ability to replace them. This is especially true if there has been an injury or there is not enough proper nutrients in the body to repair the joint. The condition causes damage where instability, deformities and joint weakness can obstruct daily life. Arthritis is normally treated with physical therapy, medication and includes changes to the person's way of life or lifestyle. If an arthritis patient does not get any relief from medication and other forms of therapies then the last option they can resort to is joint replacement.

Arthritis has two main categories which is based on the areas of the body affected, 'localized' or 'generalized'. This is further divided in to sub categories. Localized conditions are bursitis and tendonitis and they affect the soft tissues surrounding the bones and joints. A sub-category of localized arthritis affects one or some of the joints like hip or knee joints. A generalized condition is a condition where the muscles and the soft tissues get damaged, in this condition there is no swelling or any kind of inflammation on the joints. This condition does not indicate joint damage. A common type of arthritis in this category is fibromyalgia.

Another sub-category involves inflammation affecting the entire body. Rheumatoid arthritis, gout and psortiatis arthritis are examples of the next conditions in this subcategory. Some of the other generalized conditions are known to include: muscles or polymyositis, vasculitis and systemic lupus erythematosus.

Within the United States, arthritis as well as several related illnesses are known to be the cause of major disability and it cost over one hundred and twenty four billion dollars each year in indirect expenses and medical care expenses. Individuals can help prevent osteoarthritis by following a few simple steps: Maintaining appropriate weight and consuming fresh fruits and vegetables as a good source of vitamins c and d. There should also be sufficient calcium intake, 1000-1500mg per day for adults. In addition regular, moderate exercise can help preventing sports injuries that can aggravate a condition.

However a person may suffer from multiple kinds of arthritis, in the United States of America around forty six million adults and abut three hundred thousand children suffer from hundred medical conditions. As early on as infancy, this condition can begin, even though it is most commonly seen in adults that are over the age of sixty, in the primary form of osteoarthritis. The number of people suffering out of this condition is increasing proportionally with the increasing average age of the American population. With old age setting in people suffering with arthritis is increasing day by day.