Arthritis is an inflammation that damages the joints of the body. There are different forms of arthritis, which all have different causes and all cause pain.
Osteoarthritis is the most common kind of arthritis in the UK. It appears as a result of trauma or infection to the joint, or age. Here, the smooth cartilage that takes the strain in a normal joint becomes rough, brittle and weak. To compensate, the bone beneath thickens and spreads out, forming knobby outgrowths. The synovial membrane surrounding the joint thickens and the fluid-filled space within it becomes smaller.
Osteoarthritis is most common in the hands, knees, hips and feet. Some people also develop it in the back or neck. About 8 million people in UK have osteoarthritis.
Other forms of arthritis are Rheumatoid arthritis and Psoriatic arthritis, auto-immune diseases in which the body attacks itself. Other types are septic arthritis, Gouty arthritis and Pseudogout, which is a rare form of gout.
