Arthritis Does Not Discriminate It Happens At Any Age

Arthritis is most seen in adults over the age of 65, but people of all ages can be affected. It can develop in children, teens, and young adults. The symptoms of arthritis usually develop over time but, they may also appear suddenly.

In Childhood:

Childhood arthritis covers several types of arthritis, the most common form of childhood arthritis is juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA).

Subtypes of JIA include juvenile lupus, juvenile scleroderma, mixed connective tissue disease, juvenile dermatomyositis, juvenile rheumatoid arthritis, and fibromyalgia.

But one common thread between them is that they can have serious, even life-threatening impacts.

No known cause has been pinpointed for childhood arthritis. However, there may be a genetic predisposition along with other factors that cause the onset of juvenile arthritis. Frequently there is a stigma attached to having arthritis at a young age.

Types of Symptoms:

Some types of juvenile arthritis affect the musculoskeletal system and joint symptoms may be minor or nonexistent. Juvenile scleroderma causes the skin to tighten and harden and juvenile dermatomyositis causes muscle weakness, skin rashes on the eyelids and knuckles.

While systemic lupus erythematosus can harm joints, the heart, skin, kidneys, and other organs.

Children as young as two may be affected by juvenile rheumatoid arthritis (JRA) an autoimmune and inflammatory condition. Systemic juvenile arthritis can involve the eyes, skin, muscles, and gastrointestinal tract in addition to the joints.

In Between Years:

In young adults, arthritis can start without warning and is typically diagnosed around age 25 to 30 years. The most common type is rheumatoid arthritis (RA) a debilitating autoimmune disorder causing inflammation and swelling in joints and surrounding tissues.

These symptoms may occur in the wrist, fingers, knees, feet, hips, and ankles. However, other organs such as the lungs, skin and eyes can also be affected.

In Adulthood:

In adults, the two frequent types of arthritis are osteoarthritis (OA) and rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Arthritis tends to be more common in women than men and in those who are overweight.

OA is caused by normal wear and tear or sometimes an infection or injury to the joints can exacerbate a natural breakdown of cartilage tissue. Additionally, the risk of developing OA may be higher if you have a family history of the disease.

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) often attacks more than one joint and can affect any joint in the body. RA happens when the body's immune system attacks tissues, these attacks affect the fluid and soft tissue that lubricates the joints.

Rheumatoid arthritis can be challenging because this type affects all ages.

Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) Effects:

Symptoms of the varied forms of arthritis conditions can range from mild to totally debilitating. Some people have mild or moderate forms of the disease with periods when the symptoms get better or get worse.

Others may have a severe form of the disease that can last for many years or a lifetime and cause serious joint damage and ill health.

Notable signs are the pain, sensitive joints, redness, swelling in affected joints, inflammation, muscle aches and stiffness. The pain of this disease is often incapacitating, there can be a cycle of fatigue, tiredness, malaise and repeat sick episodes. As well, the social and emotional impact of this condition can be tremendous and far-reaching especially on daily activities and everyday life.

Treating Arthritis Pain:

The goals of treatment are to manage pain, reduce swelling, stop joint damage, or slow it down. Care is designed to help you feel better and stay active. Treatment regimens may involve lifestyle changes such as learning ways to keep a good balance. These therapies try to balance between rest and exercise and taking care of your joints.

It is advantageous to keep stress levels under control, maintain regular physical activity and improve dietary habits of eating healthy. Learning to take excellent care of self with best health choices is key.

Other treatments may include medicines, alternative therapies, or surgery.