Arthritis Causes and Risk Factors That You Ought to Know

Arthritis is a condition which is related with the inflammation of joint. Though there are different types of arthritis but all types of arthritis is related with the inflammation of joints. People suffering from this problem have common complaints which include joint pain, swelling and stiffness.

The problem of arthritis can be described as the pain which occurs in the joints of the body. Usually it affects the old aged people and of both the gender. Among the different types of arthritis, the most common arthritis is osteoarthritis or degenerative joint disease. There are some other different types of arthritis which include rheumatoid arthritis and psoriatic arthritis. Then there is septic arthritis which is caused due to joint infection and also gouty arthritis which is caused due to deposition of uric acid crystals in the joints.

It is not very easy to determine the exact cause of arthritis because very often an individual starts developing this common problem due to the contribution of several factors. Some of the risk factors which can cause arthritis include -

1. Age - As an individual moves towards an older age, their cartilage becomes more brittle and thus has less capacity to repair itself. So usually people growing older are more likely to develop arthritis.

2. Weight -Excess body weight also contributes to arthritis. Our joint is partly damaged due to load as it has to support our body weight. This type of problem occurs especially in heavier patients. They are at more risk to worn their hips and knees.

3. Genetics - It also contributes to the cause of arthritis but how much the genetics or heredity contributes is not well understood. But there are likely genetic variations which can contribute to the cause of arthritis.

4. Illness or infection - Sometimes due to joint infection, multiple episodes of gout, or some other medical conditions can develop arthritis of the joint.

5. Some High-Level Sports - It also contributes to the development of arthritis but it is very difficult to determine that how much it contributes to development of arthritis. But it may be one of the reasons to develop arthritis as sports participation can lead to joint injury.

6. Occupational Hazards - Individuals working in some specific occupations are at higher risk of developing arthritis than some other jobs.

7. Previous injury - Sometimes due to some previous injury also an individual may develop arthritis. For example injury leading to arthritis is a tibial plateau fracture in which the broken area of bone enters the cartilage of knee joint.