THE MANY FORMS OF ARTHRITIS

IF THE WORD ARTHRITIS brings to mind the image of an older person with achy knees whose joint-cushioning cartilage has eroded with the wear and tear of age, you’d have the right mental picture...partly. That describes osteoarthritis, the most common type, which affects 32.5 million adults in the U.S. Like all diseases that end in itis, it can cause inflammation. But there are actually more than 100 kinds of arthritis and related conditions that cause joint pain and suffering in an additional 22 million people, many of whom are under 60. And most types fall into a category known as inflammatory arthritis, since inflammation is the main source of the problem, says Karmela Kim Chan, MD, a rheumatologist at Well Cornell Medicine’s Hospital for Special Surgery in New York City. “ In autoimmune conditions like rheumatoid arthritis and psoriatic arthritis, the immune system mistakenly sends white blood cells to a joint, where they secrete inflammatory chemicals that erode bone and tissue.” Early treatment can be critical for inflammatory arthritis, so if you have joint pain, see your doctor to get an accurate diagnosis.

In the next several blog posts is guide to five types of arthritis, along with known risk factors and strategies for taming inflammation, to get the pain under control.