arthritis

/ɑrˈθraɪdɪs/

/ɑˈθraɪtɪs/

Arthritis is a painful condition in which your joints swell and stiffen. It is common in older people, although it can affect anyone, including athletes who've injured knees, ankles, and hips.

There are said to be more than 100 types of arthritis. It can be a side-effect of aging; typically your cartilage — the tissue that acts as a padding around the joints — becomes stiffer and wears away. On the other hand, younger people can be affected through infections, injury, or obesity. Doctors do not yet know why some people get arthritis and others don't. Even great athletes like Michael Jordan had to deal with arthritis when they got older: it's common.

Definitions of arthritis

1. noun

   inflammation of a joint or joints
   types:

   atrophic arthritis, rheumatism, rheumatoid arthritis

   a chronic autoimmune disease with inflammation of the joints and marked deformities; something (possibly a virus) triggers an attack on the synovium by the immune system, which releases cytokines that stimulate an inflammatory reaction that can lead to the destruction of all components of the joint

   degenerative arthritis, degenerative joint disease, osteoarthritis

   chronic breakdown of cartilage in the joints; the most common form of arthritis occurring usually after middle age

   gout, gouty arthritis, urarthritis

   a painful inflammation of the big toe and foot caused by defects in uric acid metabolism resulting in deposits of the acid and its salts in the blood and joints

   spondylarthritis

   arthritis that affects one or more of the intervertebral joints in the spine

   psoriatic arthritis

   a form of rheumatoid arthritis usually affecting fingers and toes and associated with psoriasis

   Still's disease, juvenile rheumatoid arthritis

   a form of rheumatoid arthritis that affects children; large joints become inflamed and bone growth may be retarded

   type of:

   inflammatory disease

   a disease characterized by inflammation