Arthritis comes in several different forms and is a medical condition in which the joints of the body are damaged. The most common symptoms of arthritis are pain and swelling in the joints, that being where two bones connect together. Examples of places of the body which are most commonly affected by arthritis include the knees and the elbows.

Arthritis can be severely debilitating in its more severe form but many people live with arthritis without too much of a problem. It is just a matter of the degree of the disease and a particular type of arthritis that the patient is suffering from. The most common form of arthritis is osteoarthritis. One of the most common causes of these is an injury to a joint which could have happened several years before arthritis actually sets on.

Rheumatoid arthritis is also fairly common and occurs when the natural body's defence system ceases to work correctly. This can affect various organs in the body and the hands and feet. As all forms of arthritis, it also affects the joints. Rheumatoid arthritis may also come the symptoms of fatigue and nausea. Other causes of arthritis include viral hepatitis, lupus and gout.

There are various ways of treating arthritis but it largely depends on a specific diagnosis that the patient has. It depends on the extent of the disease and exactly which type it is. Physical therapy and certain types and medications are often prescribed to people suffering from severe arthritis. There are also a number of natural remedies which are believed by many to work effectively.

Contrary to popular belief, arthritis is certainly not limited by your age. It can also affect children and affects men and women equally. There are around three hundred and fifty million people in the world who suffer from arthritis and in the United States alone, there are about forty million sufferers.