Arthritis Types

Arthritis sufferers include men and women, children and adults. Approximately 350 million people worldwide have Arthritis. Nearly 40 million persons in the United States are affected by arthritis, including over a quarter million children! More than 21 million Americans have osteoarthritis. Approximately 2.1 million Americans suffer from rheumatoid arthritis. More than half of those with Arthritis are under 65 years of age. Nearly 60% of Americans with arthritis are women.

The Arthritis actually means joint inflammation. The term Arthritis is used to describe more than 100 rheumatic diseases and conditions that affect joints, the tissues which surround the joint and other connective tissue. The pattern, severity and location of symptoms can vary depending on the specific form of the disease. Typically, rheumatic conditions are characterized by pain and stiffness in and around one or more joints. The symptoms can develop gradually or suddenly. Certain rheumatic conditions can also involve the immune system and various internal organs of the body.

A brief overview of the most common forms of Arthritis will be discussed in this section. Whenever possible, the format for each arthritis type overview will include the following sections: background, prevalence (the number of people affected now), incidence (the number of new people affected in a given time period), mortality, hospitalizations, ambulatory care data (office, hospital outpatient, and emergency department visits), cost (direct and indirect where available), impact on quality of life and unique characteristics (such as transient nature, post infectious, etc.). References and resources for further information are provided at the end of each overview.

• Childhood Arthritis

• Fibromyalgia

• Generic

• Gout

• Osteoarthritis

• Rheumatoid Arthritis

• Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE or lupus)

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