Arthritis is often thought to be a disease of aged people but it actually is not so. Arthritis can miserably affect very young people as well. It is quite normally considered to be a single disease but arthritis is a term given to a collection of over 100 medical disorders together affecting the musculoskeletal system and in particular the joints. The different forms of joint arthritis are capable of affecting not only the muscles and joints but the whole body, sometimes including organs like the lungs, kidneys, heart, etc. There are over 125 types of arthritis have already been identified till date.

The two most common types of the disease are Osteoarthritis and Rheumatoid arthritis. The others are Gout, Ankylosing spondylitis, Juvenile arthritis, Fibromyalgia and Scleroderma just to name a few. People who badly suffer from arthritis will generally experience inflammation of the joints with swelling, tenderness and soreness for more than two weeks and may also have tiredness, muscle ache, be unable to sleep and depressed and find it very painful when moving around, thus leading to disability in some instances.

It is not known what actually causes arthritis and still the cure for this disease is unknown. People who get affected with arthritis will probably suffer with it for the rest of their lives, but there are various treatments such as oral medication, exercise, diet, weight control and even surgery that are available to make life easier and bearable. If people develop a pain especially in their joints, which lasts over a couple of weeks together with fever and swelling in their joints, then they should consult their physician to see if they have developed arthritis. Based on blood tests and x-rays the physician should be able to tell if they have arthritis and how acute it is and prescribe which treatment is best suited to the condition. As people grow older joints degenerate naturally and for most people over the age of 50 some signs of the disease are evident.

Commonly most of the people think arthritis is a negligible health condition which is not true. Arthritis is actually the most widespread health condition leading to disability in most of the people, causing major setbacks in their lives, in terms of employment and also day to day living. Also people think arthritis is actually about aches and pains which is a common misconception that arthritis is the name given to the aches and pains of older people. Arthritis is firstly not a disease of the aged people; even young children are able to get it. Arthritis however is more common disease among the elderly. People think nothing much can be done to lessen arthritic disability and pain and to date there are no known cures for arthritis, but in today's day and age with such advancement in science, there is much that can be done to lessen the disability and pain. Weight control programs, exercise programs, and even surgery are some of the measures used today. If people suffer from arthritis, they and their physician should work hand in hand in treating this disease. The patient's cooperation is essential for a successful treatment.