Arthritis includes approximately 100 inflammatory and noninflammatory diseases that affect the body s joints, connective tissue, and other supporting tissues such as tendons, cartilage, blood vessels, and internal organs. The most common type of arthritis is osteoarthritis, affecting more than 16 million Americans, mostly over 40. The second most common type of arthritis is rheumatoid arthritis, affecting 2.5 million Americans. It can strike at any age but usually appears between ages 20 and 50 and usually affects the hands. An autoimmune disease that attacks the synovial membrane of the joints, rheumatoid arthritis affects the entire body and can cause weakness, fatigue, loss of appetite, muscle pain, and weight loss.
Arthritis can also develop as a result of an infection.
For example, bacteria that causes gonorrhea, tuberculosis, rheumatic fever, or Lyme disease can cause arthritis. Infectious arthritis usually clears up completely with antibiotics. Swelling in one or more joints, early morning stiffness, recurring pain or tenderness in any joint, obvious redness and warmth in a joint, unexplained weight loss, fever, or weakness combined with joint pain that last more than two weeks are typical symptoms of arthritis. Skin, joint, kidney, lung, heart, nervous system, and blood cell infections may accompany fatigue and difficulty in sleeping. Evaluating arthritis requires an assessment of past history, current symptoms, blood tests, biopsies, and x-rays.