Arthritis, thought to affect more than a billion people worldwide, is characterized by inflammation in the joints or other areas of the body, that’s partly due to the term’s use to describe more than 100 diseases that fall into two broad categories.
Also, osteoarthritis results from the body’s failed attempt to repair damaged joint tissues; and inflammatory arthritis damages joints, causing redness, swelling, and stiffness.
While there are many forms of inflammatory arthritis, signs that are typical for most include pain, swelling and stiffness in one or multiple joints, morning stiffness in and around the affected joints lasting at least one hour, pain in and stiffness that worsens with inactivity and improves with physical activity and reduced range of motion, as well as sometimes fever, weight loss, fatigue and/or anemia, according to the Arthritis Society.
It’s good to know that pain and swelling in your joints are symptoms of arthritis. For the past couple of weeks, I have noticed pain and swelling in my elbow, and I was wondering if that was a sign that something is wrong. I’ll have to look into seeing a rheumatologist and get checked for arthritis.