If you or someone you know has arthritis, then you know how hard it can make your life. Arthritis comes in many different types. There are over 100 forms of arthritis that are known. It's described as a group of conditions that engage in damaging the body's joints.

Osteoarthritis is a form of arthritis and it's also the most common. A degenerative joint disease as a result of infection of the joints, excessive trauma to the joints or old age is osteoarthritis.

Osteoarthritis, as well as affecting the joints, decreases the amount of cartilage in your bones. When Osteoarthritis attacks the cartilage, your bones try to repair themselves. The bone then remodels itself and in the process, a bone cyst forms.

Easily sending a warning are the many symptoms of osteoarthritis. An early sign of osteoarthritis is when you have stiffness or difficulty in moving the joint and it causes pain in which case you should see a doctor immediately.

When it comes to Osteoarthritis, the most common joints affected are the hip, spine, knees, and fingers. If you feel like your fingertips are engorged but aren't causing you any pain, don't just brush it off - see a doctor immediately.

Besides Osteoarthritis, there are other forms of arthritis. Rheumatoid arthritis is one of them. Rheumatoid arthritis causes severe inflammation of your joints. Your immune system can unknowingly attack your own body's tissue because it can strike various organs in your body.

In this type of disease called autoimmune, your own body is targeted by the antibodies in your blood. Your immune system attacking itself causes inflammation.

Luckily, while rheumatoid arthritis is still considered a chronic illness, many people claim to experience extensive periods of time without any symptoms. Inflammation of joints or organ is the main symptom of rheumatoid arthritis.

Low energy, lack of appetite, stiffness of your joints, and fever are other symptoms. The stiffness is most dominant during the morning hours according to most patients. While your symptoms have flared up, joints may also become tender or red.

Psoriatic arthritis (commonly known as psoriatic arthritis autoimmune disease or PSAAD) is known as one of the scariest forms of arthritis, along with rheumatoid arthritis, for the simple fact that the body ends up attacking itself to try to fight the arthritis off.

Psoriatic arthritis attacks your skin and joints. Its name stems from the skin condition called psoriasis, which affects 4% of people in the United States. With psoriatic arthritis, the main symptoms include itchy, raised, reddish patches of skin.

The patches may even become flaky or scaly. When it comes to psoriasis, the affected areas include the tips of the elbows, knees, scalp, and near the genitals. If inflamed joints and psoriasis are what patients claim to have, then often they're diagnosed with psoriatic arthritis.