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What is arthritis?

Arthritis is a disease that affects your joints (areas where your bones meet and move). Arthritis usually involves inflammation or degeneration (breakdown) of your joints. These changes can cause pain when you use the joint.

Arthritis is most common in the following areas of the body:

Feet.
Hands.
Hips.
Knees.
Lower back.

What are the different types of arthritis?

Arthritis is a broad term that describes more than 100 different joint conditions. The most common types of arthritis include:

Osteoarthritis, or “wear and tear” arthritis, which develops when joint cartilage breaks down from repeated stress. It’s the most common form of arthritis.
Ankylosing spondylitis, or arthritis of the spine (usually your lower back).
Juvenile arthritis (JA), a disorder where the immune system attacks the tissue around joints. JA typically affects children 16 or younger.
Gout, a disease that causes hard crystals of uric acid to form in your joints.
Psoriatic arthritis, joint inflammation that develops in people with psoriasis (autoimmune disorder that causes skin irritation).
Rheumatoid arthritis, a disease that causes the immune system to attack synovial membranes in your joints.

Prevalence

More than 350 million people have arthritis globally (Global RA Network, 2021) In the United States, 1 in 4 adults has arthritis(CDC)

60% of people who have arthritis are between the ages of 18 and 64

Nearly 50% of older adults who are 65 or older have arthritis (CDC

Men are more likely than women to develop arthritis before the age of 55, but more women than men develop arthritis after the age of 55 (Intermountain Healthcare, 2016).
.Osteoarthritis statistics

Rheumatoid arthritis statistics

Gout statistics

More than 42 million people around the world have gout (Healio, 2020).
More than 9 million Americans have gout (Rheumatology [Oxford], 2019).
Nearly 4% of U.S. adults have gout (Rheumatology [Oxford], 2019).

Juvenile arthritis statistics

About 1 child in every 1,000 develops some type of chronic arthritis (American College of Rheumatology, 2019).
Juvenile arthritis affects almost 300,000 kids younger than 16 in the United States every year (Arthritis Foundation, 2021).
Juvenile idiopathic arthritis is the most common childhood chronic rheumatologic disorder (Pediatric Orthopaedic Society of North America, 2021).

What causes arthritis?

Different types of arthritis have different causes. For instance, gout is the result of too much uric acid in your body. But for other types of arthritis, the exact cause is unknown. You may develop arthritis if you:

Have a family history of arthritis.
Have a job or play a sport that puts repeated stress on your joints.
Have certain autoimmune diseases or viral infections.

What are the risk factors for arthritis?

Some factors make you more likely to develop arthritis, including:

Age: The risk of arthritis increases as you get older.
Lifestyle: Smoking or a lack of exercise can increase your risk of arthritis.
Sex: Most types of arthritis are more common in women.
Weight: Obesity puts extra strain on your joints, which can lead to arthritis.

What are the symptoms of arthritis?

Different types of arthritis have different symptoms. They can be mild in some people and severe in others. Joint discomfort might come and go, or it could stay constant. Common symptoms include:

Pain.
Redness.
Stiffness.
Swelling.
Tenderness.
Warmth.
inflammation around your joints
decrease joint flexibility

Rheumatoid arthritis, or RA, is an autoimmune and inflammatory disease, which means that your immune system attacks healthy cells in your body by mistake, causing inflammation (painful swelling) in the affected parts of the body. RA mainly attacks the joints, usually many joints at once. Unlike the wear-and-tear damage of osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis affects the lining of your joints, causing a painful swelling that can eventually result in bone erosion and joint deformity. Early rheumatoid arthritis tends to affect your smaller joints first — particularly the joints that attach your fingers to your hands and your toes to your feet.

As the disease progresses, symptoms often spread to the wrists, knees, ankles, elbows, hips and shoulders. In most cases, symptoms occur in the same joints on both sides of your body.

About 40% of people who have rheumatoid arthritis also experience signs and symptoms that don’t involve the joints. Areas that may be affected include:

Skin
Eyes
Lungs
Heart
Kidneys
Salivary glands
Nerve tissue
Bone marrow
Blood vessels

Characteristics of Rheumatoid Arthritis and Osteoarthritis
Characteristic	Rheumatoid Arthritis	Osteoarthritis	Gout	Psoriatic
Mechanism	RA is an autoimmune disorder that occurs when your immune system attacks the tissues lining your joints.	OA is primarily a degenerative joint disorder caused by wear and tear on your cartilage. the most common form of arthritis. aware of it. However, the repair processes don’t always work so well and changes to the joint structure can sometimes cause or contribute to symptoms such as pain, swelling or difficulty in moving the joint normally. For example: · Extra bone may form at the edge of the joint. These bony growths are called osteophytes and can sometimes restrict movement or rub against other tissues. In some joints, especially the finger joints, these may be visible as firm, knobbly swellings. · The lining of the joint capsule (called the synovium) may thicken and produce more fluid than normal, causing the joint to swell. · Tissues that surround the joint and help to support it may stretch so that after a time the joint becomes less stable.
Prevalence Global population	Up to 14 million people(2021)	More than 300 million cases of hip and knee osteoarthritis worldwide in 2017 More than 22% of adults around the world who are older than 40 have knee osteoarthritis (EClinicalMedicine, 2020).	More than 42 million people around the world	More than 3%
Prevalence in America	Rheumatoid arthritis affects more than 1.36 million adults in the U.S. (Rheumatology International, 2017 It affects 0.5-1% of population all over the world	23% adults having arthritis More than 32.5 million U.S. adults have osteoarthritis (CDC, 2020). Among adults 60 years of age or older the prevalence of symptomatic knee OA is approximately 10% in men and 13% in women Ref: Zhang Y, Jordan JM. Epidemiology of osteoarthritis. Clinics in geriatric medicine. 2010 Aug 1;26(3):355-69.	More than 9 million Americans have gout (Rheumatology [Oxford in USA and Europe, it is about 0.3% while in Newzealand, it is 10.3% in men and 4.3% in women³. Over 90% of patients with primary gout are men. The peak age in men is earlier than women, who rarely develop the disease before menopause⁴. Lawrence, J S Heritable disorders of connective tissue Proc R.Soc Medicine 1960,53 522-26
Prevalence in Pakistan	In the urban population of southern Pakistan, Karachi, the prevalence of RA is reported to be 0.142%,⁷ whereas in northern Pakistan the estimated prevalence is 0.55%.⁸ 8.Farooqi A, Gibson T, Prevalence of the major rheumatic disorders in the adult population of North Pakistan. Br J Rheumatol 1998; 37: 491-5.	A study in Pakistan has shown that 28.00% of the urban and 25.00% of the rural population have Knee Osteo Arthritis (KOA) Ref:Iqbal MN, Haidri FR, Motiani B, Mannan A. Frequency of factors associated with knee osteoarthritis. JPMA-Journal of the Pakistan Medical Association. 2011 Aug 1;61(8):786.	Exact prevalence of gout in Pakistan is not known Lawrence, J S Heritable disorders of connective tissue Proc R.Soc Medicine 1960,53 522-26
Age	Any age.	Later pat of life.Above 40 years More than 22% of adults around the world who are older than 40 have knee osteoarthritis (EClinicalMedicine, 2020).
Gender	RA is 2–3 times more common in women. Women are three times more likely to get rheumatoid arthritis than men are (Medscape, 2021).	It’s more common in men under age 45 and women older than 45. 62% of people with osteoarthritis are women (Osteoarthritis Action Alliance, 2021).
Characteristic symptoms	RA may also cause other uncomfortable symptoms such as fever and fatigue. People with RA may also develop OA as they get older. low-grade fever, especially in children muscle aches excessive fatigue People with advanced stages of RA may notice hard lumps underneath the skin near joints. The lumps, called rheumatoid nodules, can be tender.	While people with OA may have morning stiffness that lasts fewer than 30 minutes, it lasts longer for people with RA. People older than 65 who may have OA can also develop a condition called elderly-onset RA (EORA)Trusted Source. Unlike RA, EORA more frequently affects large joints. People with OA are unlikely to experience systemic symptoms. The degenerative nature of OA is limited solely to the joints. You might develop lumps under the skin around joints, but these lumps are different from rheumatoid nodules. People with OA tend to develop bone spurs, or excess bone growth at the edges of the affected joints. Learn more about the symptoms of OA.
Affected Joints	RA usually begins in the smaller joints. You’re likely to have pain, stiffness, and swelling in the finger joints. As RA progresses, symptoms can develop in larger joints such as knees, shoulders, and ankles. RA is a symmetrical disease. That means you’ll experience symptoms on both sides of your body at the same time.
Symptoms	Tender, warm, swollen joints. Joint stiffness that is usually worse in the mornings and after inactivity. Fatigue, fever and loss of appetite. the symmetrical nature of the disease (arthritis in both hips, for example), painful, stiff joints limited range of motion warmth or tenderness in the affected area increased intensity of symptoms first thing in the morning fever anemia fatigue loss of appetite	Mostly limited to joint pain. Excessive bone growths called bone spurs may develop on the edges affected joints. painful, stiff joints limited range of motion warmth or tenderness in the affected area increased intensity of symptoms first thing in the morning
Joints affected	Usually begins in smaller joints, especially in the fingers. Symptoms are symmetrical (on both sides of the body) and may later develop in larger joints.	OA is less symmetrical. You might have pain in both your left and right knee, for example, but one side or one joint is worse. OA, like RA, is common in the hand and fingers. OA often affects the spine and hips in addition to the knees. Often joints in the hands and fingers, but less symmetrical than RA. Also affects the knees, spine, and hips.
Other areas affected	Skin Eyes Lungs Heart Kidneys Salivary glands Nerve tissue Bone marrow Blood vessels
Treatment	Disease-modifying medications and biologics that target your immune system.	Anti-inflammatory and corticosteroid medications.
Causes	Age Family history Smoking Previous injury autoimmune diseases, infections, normal wear and tear on joints, overweight and people with less muscle mass compared to their body weight.Active(More on feet)	Age Previous injury infections,normal wear and tear on joints, overweight people with less muscle mass compared to their body weight. Active(More on feet) Joint deformities Diabetes Gout
Complications	· Osteoporosis. · Rheumatoid nodules. · Dry eyes and mouth. Sjogren’s syndrome · Infections. influenza, pneumonia, shingles and COVID-19. · Abnormal body composition. The proportion of fat to lean mass is often higher Carpal tunnel syndrome. · Heart problems. hardened and blocked arteries, · Lung disease. · Lymphoma. Poor quality of life Severe pain Significant impact on life Physical limitation Disability Work limitation More hospitalization Cardiovascular diseases More Mortality	Poor quality of life Severe pain Significant impact on life Physical limitation Disability Work limitation More hospitalization Cardiovascular diseases More Mortality
Age at which the condition starts	It may begin any time in life.	It usually begins later in life.
Speed of onset	Relatively rapid, over weeks to months	Slow, over years
Joint symptoms	Joints are painful, swollen, and stiff.	Joints ache and may be tender but have little or no swelling.
Pattern of joints that are affected	It often affects small and large joints on both sides of the body (symmetrical), such as both hands, both wrists or elbows, or the balls of both feet.	Symptoms often begin on one side of the body and may spread to the other side. Symptoms begin gradually and are often limited to one set of joints, usually the finger joints closest to the fingernails or the thumbs, large weight-bearing joints (hips, knees), or the spine.
Duration of morning stiffness	Morning stiffness usually lasts longer than 1 hour.	Morning stiffness usually lasts less than 1 hour. Stiffness returns at the end of the day or after periods of activity.
Presence of symptoms affecting the whole body (systemic)	Frequent fatigue and a general feeling of being ill are present.	Whole-body symptoms are not present.