Arthritis

Arthritis is a word taken from greek and literally means ‘Joint-Inflammation’. This inflammation can affect one or more joints depending on the type of arthritis and the chronicity or severity of the condition. There are many types of arthritis, including osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, gout and even psoriatic arthritis. It can also be a symptom that is secondary to another disease such as SLE (Systemic Lupus Erythematosus), Inflammatory Bowel Disease, Ross River Virus or Barmah Forest Virus (both of which are quite common on the north coast), Ehlers-Danlos Symdrome, Familial Mediterranean Fever, Haemochromatosis and Sarcoidosis.

In this article I’ve chosen to look at osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis as these are generally the most common and things could get very geeky and boring if we start considering the rest as well. Lets start by looking at the main differences between them from a western point of view.