Arthritis Types

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Arthritis: Conquering the Pain and Reclaiming Movement

Arthritis affects a surprisingly large number of Americans. A 2005 survey showed that more than 20 percent of adults reported having cases of arthritis, with a significant percentage claiming that the condition was serious enough to limit their activity. Increasing your understanding of arthritis—including how to treat and manage it—can be instrumental in reducing long-term joint damage and pain. In this guide we'll direct you to sites with all the resources you need to understand this extremely prevalent condition.

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What Is Arthritis?

Arthritis is an umbrella term that refers to more than 100 conditions affecting the musculoskeletal ... read more »

Arthritis Types

There are more than 100 varieties of arthritis, according to the MedTerms Dictionary on MedicineNet.com. These include common conditions, such as osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis, and rare conditions, such as Paget's disease and Reiter's syndrome. Learn about these and more using the sites in this guide.

Dulcinea's Insight

The three most prominent types of arthritis are:

Osteoarthritis, the most common form of arthritis, caused by degradation of the cartilage at the ends of the bones, leading to increased friction, pain, stiffness, and swelling.

Rheumatoid arthritis, afflicting the lining of the joints. Although its cause is unknown, it is characterized by pain, stiffness, and inflammation of the joints, which can lead to destruction of the cartilage and bone.

Fibromyalgia, causing stiffness and pain in the tissue supporting bones and joints.

It might sound obvious but, as arthritis is a general term, be sure the information you find pertains to the specific type of arthritis you're researching. If it's a rare condition and the following sites don't yield information that you're satisfied with, take your search to a health-specific search engine. You'll find this in the "Where should I begin my research?" section of the findingDulcinea Health Guide.

Dulcinea's Picks

For an overview ...

The American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons presents separate overviews of rheumatoid arthritis; osteoarthritis; juvenile rheumatoid arthritis; and arthritis of the foot and ankle; hip; hand, thumb, and wrist; knee; shoulder, arm, and elbow.

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All About Arthritis has articles on more than 30 varieties of arthritis. Each provides a solid introduction and nearly half are supplemented by useful, if rudimentary, diagrams and graphics. See the “Rheumatoid Arthritis” section for an example.

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For a directory ...

MedlinePlus provides this arthritis page--arguably the most comprehensive collection of arthritis information on the Web. MedlinePlus arranges links in groups and adds descriptive titles so you'll know what to find at each site. A couple of gems found in the directory are an article from the Arthritis Foundation on financial planning for those living with chronic diseases, and this article on sex and arthritis from the American College of Rheumatology.

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