What are risk factors for arthritis?

There are several risk factors for arthritis. These include the following:

Family history is not important for osteoarthritis but appears to play a role in rheumatoid arthritis. If your parents had rheumatoid arthritis, then it is likely that you may also develop the same disorder. Not everyone, though, in the family develop rheumatoid arthritis.

For osteoarthritis, age is a risk factor. As you age, the general wear and tear of the joints is progressive. Women generally are more likely to develop rheumatoid arthritis.

Anyone who has had a prior joint injury while playing sports or from a fall is more at risk for developing osteoarthritis later in life. This is commonly seen in athletes who often have severe arthritis of the wrist, ankles and knee later in life.

Obesity is a big risk factor for many medical disorders and also for arthritis. The excess weight puts a lot of stress on the weight bearing joints. Most obese people tend to develop osteoarthritis early in life.

What is the difference between osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis?

Osteoarthritis is due to the general wear and tear of the joint from daily living activities. The bones grind against each other and lead to destruction of the cartilage. This wear and tear happens in everyone but can be hastened by joint injury, obesity or infection. Osteoarthritis usually affects the large joints of the body like the knee, hip or spine.

Rheumatoid arthritis occurs because of some problem with the immune system. For some unknown reason, the body’s defense mechanism starts to attack the joint structures causing inflammation, redness and swelling. Rheumatoid arthritis is also a progressive disease and can be very deforming. It tends to affect small joints and is usually bilateral and symmetrical. For example, fingers on both hands may be affected at the same time.

Neither condition is curable and all treatments only deal with the symptoms.