What causes arthritis: A look at rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritisThe answer to the question, "What causes arthritis?" is not simple. The term arthritis covers about 100 inflammatory conditions, the most common being osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis. On this page, we'll look at causes linked to rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis. What causes arthritis: rheumatoid arthritisThis painful condition affects about 2.1 million Americans with 2 to 3 times more women having the disease than men. Rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune disease (auto means self), and is called this because a person's immune system, which normally helps protect the body from infection and disease, attacks joint tissues for unknown reasons. White blood cells, the agents of the immune system, travel to the synovium and cause inflammation (synovitis), characterized by warmth, redness, swelling, and pain--typical symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis. During the inflammation process, the normally thin synovium becomes thick and makes the joint swollen and puffy to the touch.What causes arthritis pain? The chart below shows what happens to a joint when it is affected by rheumatoid arthritis.
Scientists have found several suspected causes to this painful disease: Genetics, smoking, stress, obesity and hormones. Genetics - Numerous family studies have shown there is likely an inherited predisposition to the disease. That's probably not surprising, you probably know families where more than one family member has the disease. Researchers have identified specific genes that are linked to a tendency to develop rheumatoid arthritis (RA). However, having these genes does not guarantee a person will develop the disease, Some people with RA don't have these genes, others have the genes but don't develop RA. Smoking - RA symptoms tend to be worse in smokers, according to WebMD. One study from Norfolk, England published in 1997 in Arthritis and Rheumatism found that participants with a history of having ever smoked were associated with a higher risk of developing RA. Obesity - This same study from Norfolk, England also found that participants with a body mass index of 30 or more had a higher likelihood for developing RA. Get statistically valid weight loss tips from a large Consumer Reports magazine study involving 21,000 readers.
Stress - Emotional stress has been found as a trigger to RA symptoms but research is unclear whether stress is a factor is causing the disease to initially develop. Hormones - Scientists believe there is possibly hormone factors involved in RA because significantly more women than men are affected and because pregnancy sometimes improves the disease and symptoms may flare when the pregnancy ends. In addition, some women develop RA around the time of menopause. Researchers at Harvard's Brigham and Women's Hospital published a study in 2004 in Arthritis and Rheumatism that discovered breastfeeding lowers a woman's risk for develping rheumatoid arthritis. For women who breastfed for two years or more, the likelihood of coming down with RA was cut in half. Breastfeeding for one to two years, reduced the risk for RA by 20 percent and breastfeeding for less than one year did not impact the risk for developing RA. The time for breastfeeding was for all children in a family. What causes arthritis: OsteoarthritisThis type of arthritis, also referred to as degenerative joint disease, is the most common type of arthritis, affecting about 27 million Americans. Osteoarthritis is the "wear and tear" form of the condition, that often appears during middle ages and by age 70, the majority of individuals suffer from it. With the aging U.S. population, a larger and larger group will be affected by it in coming years.Osteoarthritis usually begins with occasional stiffness and joint pain. What's happening is that the rubbery cushioning of the joint, called cartilage, is begining to wear away. When the cartilage and bone disintegrate, bone spurs can form in the joint, making movement painful. Below are illustrations of a healthy joint (left) and one affected by osteoarthritis.
To see a diet for osteoarthritis, click here. Injury - Research has found that an injury to a joint as a child or young adult significantly increases the likelihood of developing osteoarthritis in that joint later in life. Aging process - The body's ability to manufacture new cartilage slows down as we age. That makes it important to have a healthy diet consisting of plenty of nutrient-laden fruits and vegetables to give your body cartilage-building tools. Smoking - Research has found that smoking is linked with cartilage loss. The December 2006 issue of the Annals of Rheumatic Diseases highlighted a 30-month study at the Mayo Clinic that found male smokers with knee osteoarthritis had a 2.3 times greater risk for cartilage loss and significantly higher levels of pain than non smokers involved in the study. Obesity - For every 10 pounds a person is overweight, the force on the knee joints increases 30-60 pounds with every step. So being overweight definitely contributes to joint wear and tear. Research from the Nutrition Examination Survey found that obese women were nearly four times more likely to have knee osteoarthritis than non-obese women. And for obese men, the likelihood to have knee arthritis was five times higher.
|
