Arthritis is an inflammation of a joint. It is characterized by the pain, swelling and limitation of joint movement. Other symptoms may include limited join range, joint stiffness, redness, and warmth around the joint area.
There are a variety of forms of arthritis among which osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis are most commonly occurring types.
Arthritis can be classified into two main groups: monoarthritis or polyarthritis. Monoarthritis includes Pyogenic Arthritis, Tubercular Arthritis, Hemophilic arthritis, and secondary osteoarthritis. Polyarthritis includes rheumatoid arthritis, rheumatic fever, juvenile chronic polyarthritis, primary osteoarthritis, and sero-negative spond-arthritis.
Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic inflammation of the joint. It is non-suppurative in nature while osteoarthritis is a degenerative joint disease that is classified into primary and secondary OA.
Arthritis may occur in all the men, women, children and the elderly. Nearly half of the people below the age of 65 years are affected with the arthritis of one or the other kind.