Osteoarthritis, Rheumatoid & Gout – Arthritis Types

Arthritis is the inflammation of the joint in your body. Mostly, old people suffer from arthritis due to the nature of wear and tear of the joints. There are actually more than one hundred types of arthritis known and diagnosed in the world. But this article will cover the three major ones that are suffered by most people.

Osteoarthritis

Osteoarthritis happens when your cartilage breaks down faster than your body can repair it. Cartilage is the “cushioning” that exists in your joints to absorb stress to the joints. When the cartilage wears down, your bones’ ends can rub each other. This experience is very painful when it happens. When bone and bone collides, osteoarthritis happens.

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA)

This is often very important part of this article. RA is a result of autoimmune disorder. What is an autoimmune disorder? It’s the consequence of the body destroying its own cells instead of protecting it. In this case, it causes chronic inflammation in which your own immune system attacks your own joints. When the inflammation happens, you feel very painful when you try to move your joints.

Gout arthritis

Rheumatoid Arthritis – Destanee’s Story – YouTube: A video documenting Destane Rheumatoid Arthritis for the Jeffrey Gottfurcht Rheumatoid Arthritis Foundation. Please visit the foundation at jgcaf.org.

Gout is also known as metabolic arthritis. It’s caused by the chemical uric acid, a byproduct of protein breakdown. What happens is the uric acid gets deposited into the articular cartilage of joints and the surrounding tissues. It’s common to see the big toe getting affected by gout, making the person who has it very difficult to walk. It can also affect other joints like the ankle, heel, knee, wrist, elbow, fingers and backbone.