Causes of Arthritis and Risk factors

  • Arthritis
    Arthritis is often seen as a disease that affects the elderly but it can affect people of all ages. According to the Arthritis Foundation, two-thirds of people with arthritis are under the age of 65. And more people in their late 30s and 40s are now being diagnosed with the condition 
Submitted by PatientsEngage on 6 July 2015

What causes arthritis
Although the exact causes are unknown, it is believed to include the following:

  • Genetics
  • Injury
  • Infection
  • Lifestyle related factors, primarily, smoking, diet, use of oral contraceptives and excessive coffee intake
  • Obesity 
  • Environmental factors, like stress
  • Autoimmune conditions (your body's own immune system attacking the joints, causing inflammation - warmth, swelling, tenderness - within the joints)

Are you at risk

Are you:

  • 65 or above in age: The risk of many types of arthritis — including osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis and gout — increases with age.
  • Younger people are increasingly suffering from osteoarthritis. (See article above)
  • Have a family history of arthritis: Your genes can make you more susceptible to environmental factors that may trigger arthritis.
  • A woman: Women are more likely than men to develop rheumatoid arthritis due to many hormonal changes.
  • Have had a previous joint injury: People who have injured a joint, perhaps while playing a sport, are more likely to eventually develop arthritis in that joint.
  • Obese: Carrying excess pounds puts stress on joints, particularly your knees, hips and spine. Obese people have a higher risk of developing arthritis.
Changed
05/Jul/2017
Community
Muscle, Bone and Joint (earlier named Arthritis)
Condition
Arthritis

Stories

  • Arthritis Symptoms and Signs
    Some signs and symptoms of arthritis require urgent medical care. If you have any of the following, you should seek medical care as soon as possible: One or more swollen joints Fever Weight loss Inability to function due to joint pain or swelling Overall sense of feeling ill, accompanied by fever, joint swelling and joint pain Sudden weakness of specific muscle groups Burning pain, numbness or a pins-and-needles sensation around joints. Symptoms depend on the type of arthritis you have:…
  • Arthritis Tests and Diagnosis
    The process of diagnosing arthritis involves several steps. The doctor will record your medical history and give you a physical examination. He/she may also recommend laboratory tests, imaging tests (such as x-rays), and other tests as required. Laboratory and imaging tests are sometimes, but not always, needed to determine the cause of arthritis. These tests may include: X-rays: To see a detailed picture of the bones. However, for many types of arthritis, changes in the joint are not visible…
  • My excitement about life lets me forget the pain
    It’s impossible to imagine that super-tough fitness instructor Neha was once immobile with rheumatoid arthritis. She shares her story – from pain to power.  Like many of us do, I have clear, early images of myself. I was never a fat girl, but I was definitely on the plumper side, one of the reasons I took to exercising young. At 15, I began an exercise regimen. Days turned to months and months to years. Eight years later, at 23, I got married. Exercising remained an …
  • Back on her feet after decades of struggle with Rheumatoid Arthritis
    For 48-year-old Sachi Pathak, life was never pain-free. A sports enthusiast, Sachi was always ahead in participating in all gymnastic activities in her school. One day while forming a pyramid (a gymnastic formation) she fell on her knees. Her knees became stiff and her movement became limited. She was rushed to the nearest hospital and over a series of diagnostic tests it was found that she suffered from rheumatoid arthritis.  In Sachi’s case, RA had affected both her knees and hip joints…
  • Excess weight and food allergies cause arthritis - True or False?
    Find out this and more from Dr Shital Raval  1. Can excess weight cause osteoarthritis? Recent medical opinion points to excess weight as a cause for osteoarthritis. It is also known that obesity makes the symptoms worse in patients with existing osteoarthritis. This is because obesity tends to decrease mobility and puts stress on the back, hips, knees and feet, all the body parts that are commonly affected by osteoarthritis. Over time this stress can cause the…
  • Inflammation
    Inflammation has been linked to a slew of diseases – from allergies to cancer, heart trouble, bowel problems and diabetes. What is it and how can we protect ourselves. - By paediatrician and family practitioner Dr Gita Mathai. What is inflammation? The word is derived from the Latin “inflammo” meaning ignite or set alight. It conjures up visions of fire, and it is the body’s response to an injury, like a broken bone, a scrape in the skin or an infection by an organism (…
  • A stock pic of a pregnant woman sitting on the grass
    Pregnancy and Arthritis
    Women with arthritis can get pregnant. It is better for them to discuss with both their treating rheumatologist or endocrinologist and their OB-GYN and plan their pregnancy. Find out how pregnancy affects your arthritic symptoms and how you can deal with them. Women with arthritis who are pregnant are affected in different ways. In arthritis, joints are inflammed and painful. For some pregnant women, the added weight of pregnancy may increase pain and discomfort. But 70-80% of women…
  • Walking to Help Knee OA: How Much Is Enough?
    Researchers find 6,000 steps per day is the “magic” number for preventing activity limitations in people with knee osteoarthritis (OA), according to a new study published recently online in Arthritis Care & Research. If you have not been doing much walking, start with 3000 steps and then move up to 6000 steps per day http://www.arthritistoday.org/news/walking-protects-against-limitations-348.php
  • Exercising with Arthritis? Is it possible?
    A great article on why exercising is important to prevent complications from inactivity in Arthritic patients and what exercises are suitable. https://www.rheumatology.org/Practice/Clinical/Patients/Diseases_And_Conditions/Exercise_and_Arthritis/
  • Men get Arthritis, too
    Living with RA is living with pain but “Don’t let the disease define you”. RA causes pain in his hands, but he plays the piano every day to keep his fingers moving and his brain active. http://www.everydayhealth.com/news/men-get-arthritis-too/?xid=tw_everydayhealth_sf