When a patient is diagnosed with arthritis, it's important to know what kind of arthritis type it is and, of course, their doctor should tell them. Typically, there are three common forms of the degenerative disease. To learn more about each keep reading.

Osteoarthritis

Osteoarthritis is the most common type of arthritis. It's often called degenerative joint disease and tends to be more common in older adults. However, osteoarthritis can still appear in younger people, when it is normally the result of injury, a hereditary disorder or metabolic problem.

Osteoarthritis attacks the smooth cartilage on the bone ends. After it's worn away, new born forms, causing an overgrowth along with intense pain when the dry and exposed joints move and grate together. The disease is not usually associated with inflammation.

Rheumatoid Arthritis

When assessing rheumatoid arthritis, the body joints are essentially attacked by the immune system just like it were an external foe. This response of the auto-immune system is something of a chain reaction since there is an inflammation of the synovial joints - shifting fingers and thumbs apart - ligaments are weakened from the swelling, and alignment of muscles are damaged.

Rheumatoid arthritis can not only lead to deformity, but it can also be very painful. When a patient is experiencing an inflammation, simple tasks like opening a bottle or using a pen can be extremely painful and almost impossible. Rheumatoid arthritis will either worsen or often stay stable for a number of years before deteriorating further.

The disease is often diagnosed in 5 stages. Stage 1 has no visible or apparent symptoms other than those that can be detected through lab analysis. Stage 2 is accompanied by small amount of stiffness (usually in the mornings) and some swelling.

Stage 3 causes the synovial membrane to proliferate, and drug treatments are often required. During Stage 4, this disease continues to spread to the cartilage and joint swelling becomes more pronounced. At Stage 5, irreversible destruction has been caused and the patient is typically under high duress.

A diagnostic conclusion of rheumatoid arthritis is typically founded on the existence of the following symptoms for a period longer than six weeks - stiffness of the joints after awakening, swelling in finger or joints of the wrists, soft tissue swelling around joints and swelling on each side of a joint.

Spondyloarthropathies

The term spondyloarthropathies actually refers to a number of arthritic disorders that affect the spine. Though it's the third most common form of arthritis, it's actually a blanket term to cover conditions such as psoriatic arthritis, intestinal arthropathy, reactive anthropathy, Reiter's syndrome and more.

If you suspect you have arthritis, knowing the arthritis type of disease is critical to understanding your treatment. And remember, early diagnosis is critical, so see a doctor.