Arthritis Awareness Month | Biography
Arthritis is a broad word that comprises over a hundred disorders that affect joints. It can produce swelling in or around a joint, leading to discomfort, stiffness, and difficulty moving. Several associations and patient advocates plan events to raise awareness of arthritis symptoms and highlight the importance of early diagnosis so that timely medical treatment could help prevent the illness from progressing.
Arthritis is a disease in which one or more body joints enlarge and become tender. It affects around 350 million people globally, including nearly 40 million in the United States.
Chronic disorders such as ankylosing spondylitis, gout, lupus, osteoarthritis, and rheumatoid arthritis are among the diseases classified as arthritis.
What is Arthritis Awareness Month?
In the United States, arthritis is one of the most common health problems. It affects almost one out of every four adults, equating to over 58 million men and women.
As a result, the CDC, the Arthritis Foundation, and other partners commemorate Arthritis Awareness Month to emphasize the impact on Americans' health. National Arthritis Awareness Month is observed every year in the month of May.
According to flushinghospital.org, Arthritis is the most common cause of disability in the United States, costing the economy more than $156 million in medical costs and lost income. This remark is notable because it draws attention to a problem that today affects over 53 million Americans and is estimated to reach 67 million by 2030.
Although Arthritis Awareness Month occurs in May, World Arthritis Awareness Day/ World Arthritis Day occurs on 12 October every year. It is taken place to raise awareness about the existence and effect of rheumatic and musculoskeletal disorders.
Arthritis is a broad word that comprises over a hundred disorders that affect joints. It can produce swelling in or around a joint, leading to discomfort, stiffness, and difficulty moving. Several associations and patient advocates plan events to raise awareness of arthritis symptoms and highlight the importance of early diagnosis so that timely medical treatment could help prevent the illness from progressing.
Forms of Arthritis
- Osteoarthritis:
Osteoarthritis affects millions of individuals worldwide and is one of the most common arthritis. It causes the cartilage at the ends of bones to wear away. As a result, osteoarthritis causes pain due to bone pressing on bone.
The protective cartilage that mats the ends of the bones breaks down with time, causing this condition. Even though osteoarthritis can affect any body joint, it is exceedingly typically seen in the hands, hips, knees, and spine.
- Rheumatoid arthritis:
Rheumatoid sickness, commonly known as rheumatoid arthritis (RA), is an autoimmune disease in which the body mistakes the linings of the joints for foreign tissue and attacks and damages them, producing inflammation and suffering.
As a result, the joints will eventually deteriorate over time. This condition affects about 1% of the American population. However, according to the Arthritis Foundation, two to three times as many women as males acquire RA, and 70 % of patients with RA are women.
Rheumatoid arthritis Awareness Day is marked on 2 February every year.
- Psoriatic arthritis:
It affects persons who have psoriasis. It affects the ligaments and tendons that connect the bones to the joints. The month of May is also recognized as Psoriatic Arthritis Awareness Month.
According to rheumatologist Erin M. Bauer, psoriatic arthritis usually begins with swelling in a joint such as a finger or toe. Dactylitis, a swollen digit that resembles a sausage, is a common symptom of psoriatic arthritis.
Psoriatic arthritis might start in the joints near your fingernails or toenails, but it can spread to other joints, including the knees and elbows. Psoriatic spondylitis is a disorder that causes inflammation and swelling in the spines of some persons.
Arthritis Foundation
The Arthritis Foundation is the USA's largest nonprofit organization dedicated to preventing, controlling, and curing the nation's leading cause of disability, arthritis.
According to its official website, "the Arthritis Foundation is boldly pursuing a cure for America's #1 cause of disability while championing the fight to conquer arthritis with life-changing science, resources, advocacy and community connections."
The CEO of the organization is Steven Taylor, appointed in February 2022. He has over thirty years of experience as a mission-driven leader in the voluntary health industry, dedicated to improving patients' lives with life-altering diseases.
Since joining the Arthritis Foundation in 2021, Taylor has developed the organization's multi-year strategic program of action, laying out the Foundation's clear paths to treating the disease and improving the standard of living for the almost 60 million Americans who have arthritis.
Juvenile Arthritis Awareness Month
Most cases of juvenile arthritis are autoimmune diseases. The body's immune system, which is assumed to help fight bacteria and viruses, attacks some of its own healthy cells and tissues.
July is Juvenile Arthritis Awareness Month, which raises awareness of the almost 300,000 kids who have been affected by the disease. Unfortunately, due to the belief that children cannot have arthritis, as well as intermittent symptoms or periods of time without indications, many children who develop this autoimmune illness are mistreated or undergo a delayed diagnosis.
Because children under 18 do not have completely developed immune systems, any delay in acquiring a diagnosis and treatment, particularly with juvenile arthritis, can be especially hazardous.
Some of the most diagnosed types of juvenile arthritis include Systematic onset JIA (Still's Disease), polyarticular JIA (which affects more than five joints), oligoarticular JIA (which affects less than five joints), juvenile enthesitis-related arthritis, and juvenile psoriatic arthritis.
Swelling of the ligaments and connective tissue are indications of juvenile enthesitis-related arthritis, which affects 15% of all children. Psoriatic arthritis in children is less prevalent, with a diagnostic rate of roughly 1% of all children diagnosed with arthritis.
Children as young as six months old might develop juvenile arthritis. Stiffness in joints, swelling of joints, joint discomfort, hot or warm skin around joints, fever, inflammation of the eyes, lack of appetite, and exhaustion are all frequent symptoms of the condition.
Irritation, swelling, and damage to the lungs, heart, and gastrointestinal tract are some of the less common symptoms.
Unfortunately, there is no remedy for arthritis; however, several charities and organizations dedicate their research to juvenile arthritis. Some notable organizations include The Arthritis Foundation, The Arthritis National Research Foundation, and the American Juvenile Arthritis Organization.
