The term arthritis (from the Greek arthron : articulation, and from Latin ite : inflammation) designates more than a hundred different ailments which is characterized by pain in the joints, ligaments, tendons, bones or other parts of the musculoskeletal system. (The special Arthritis section has specific factsheets on many of these conditions.)

In the past, we used the word rheumatism (Latin rheumatism, for “flow of moods”) to designate all of these conditions. This term is now considered obsolete.

Nearly 1 in 6 Canadians aged 12 and over has some form of arthritis, according to Statistics Canada². According to another source (The Arthritis Society), 4.6 million Canadians suffer from arthritis, including 1 million from inflammatory arthritis. In France, 17% of the population suffers from osteoarthritis.

Remark. Some forms of arthritis are characterized by the presence of inflammation, but not all. Inflammation is the body’s natural reaction to irritated or infected tissue. It causesswelling, pain and redness to the affected area of ​​the body.

Causes

L’arthritis can appear as a result of trauma, infection or simple natural wear and tear, but can also be the result of an autoimmune disease in which the body attacks its own tissues. Sometimes no reason can be found to explain the symptoms.

Forms of arthritis

The two main forms:

• L’Osteoarthritis is the most common arthritis; it is said to be formed “with wear”. It’s a degenerative arthritis. The destruction by wear of the cartilage that covers and protects the bones of the joint and the appearance of small bony growths characterize this disease. It mainly affects the joints that support a large part of the body weight, such as the hips, knees, feet and spine. Osteoarthritis is often related to age, or caused by excess weight or by the repeated use of a joint in the practice of a sport. It rarely appears before quarantine.
• La rheumatoid arthritis is a inflammatory disease. The joints of the hands, wrists and feet are often the first to be affected. Other organs can be affected as the inflammation affects the whole body. This type of arthritis usually starts around 40 to 60 years old, but it can start in early adulthood. Rheumatoid arthritis is 2 to 3 times more common in women than in men. Although scientists have not yet discovered its cause, it appears to be of autoimmune origin and influenced byheredity.

Other forms of arthritis, among the most common:

• Infectious arthritis. It can occur when an infection directly affects a joint and causes inflammation;
• Reactive arthritis. This form of arthritis also appears as a result of infection. But in this case, the infection is not located directly in the joint;
• Juvenile arthritis. A rare form of rheumatoid arthritis that occurs in children and adolescents, and which often gets better with age;
• Psoriatic arthritis. A form of arthritis that is accompanied by skin lesions typical of psoriasis;
• Gout and pseudogout: the deposition of crystals in the joints, in the form of uric acid in the case of gout or calcium phosphate in the case of a pseudodout, causes inflammation and pain, often in the big toe in the first place.

• Lupus. It is considered a form of arthritis since it is one of the chronic autoimmune diseases. It is a connective tissue disease that can cause, in its most common and serious form, inflammation of the skin, muscles, joints, heart, lungs, kidneys, blood vessels and of the nervous system.
• Scleroderma. A chronic autoimmune disease characterized by hardening of the skin and connective tissue damage. It can affect the joints and cause the typical symptoms of inflammatory-type arthritis. Systemic scleroderma can affect internal organs, such as the heart, lungs, kidneys, and digestive system.
• Ankylosing spondylitis. A chronic inflammation of the joints of the vertebrae of the back that develops gradually and causes stiffness and pain in the back, torso and hips.
• Gougerot-Sjögren syndrome. A serious autoimmune disease that first affects the glands and mucous membranes of the eyes and mouth, causing these organs to dry up through decreased production of tears and saliva. In its primary form, it only affects these glands. In its secondary form, it can be associated with other autoimmune diseases, such as rheumatoid arthritis and lupus.
• Polymyosite. A rare disease that causes inflammation in the muscles, which then lose their strength.

Other diseases are linked to different forms ofarthritis and sometimes form in association with them, such as plantar fasciitis, fibromyalgia, Lyme disease, Paget’s disease of bone, Raynaud’s disease, and carpal tunnel syndrome.

Most arthritic diseases are chronic. Some will lead to deterioration of joint structures. Indeed, the stiffness decreases the mobility of the joint and the surrounding muscles atrophy, which accelerates the progression of the disease. Over time, the cartilage crumbles, the bone wears down, and the joint can become deformed.