Page 68 - South Mississippi Living - August, 2025

HEALTHY LIVING
Types of
ARThritis
story by Dr. Nickie Harris-Ray
Arthritis is mainly defifined by inflflammation in the joints. To better understand it, doctors can examine synovial flfluid in your joints, which helps identify the cause of the condition. By examining the number of white blood cells and neutrophils in this flfluid, arthritis can basically be classifified into four categories:
Type 1 Noninflflammatory Arthritis – Variable onset and severity without inflflammatory characteristics
Type 2 Mildly Inflflammatory Arthritis – Joint inflflammation resulting from an overactive immune response
Type 3 Severely Inflflammatory Arthritis – More joint inflflammation resulting from an overactive immune response
Type 4 Purulent Arthritis –
Septic arthritis with inflflammation secondary usually to bacterial but occasionally fungal, mycobacterial, viral, or other uncommon pathogens
Some of the most common types are:
Osteoarthritis – This type occurs when the cartilage that cushions
the joints wears down over time. It often occurs as you age and can lead to stiffffness and pain in the affffected areas.
Rheumatoid Arthritis – This
is an autoimmune disease, resulting in the immune system mistakenly attacking its own joints, causing inflflammation, pain, and sometimes deformity. It can affffect people of all ages.
Gout – This is a type of arthritis caused by a buildup of uric acid
in the body. This can lead to sharp crystal formation in the joints, especially in the big toe, resulting in intense, sudden pain.
Ankylosing Spondylitis – This type mainly affffects the spine and the joints in the lower back. It can lead to stiffffness and pain, and in some cases, it can cause the spine to fuse together, which can limit movement.
Each type of arthritis has its own causes and symptoms, and it’s important for those experiencing joint pain to consult with a healthcare professional for proper diagnosis and treatment.
68 | August 2025
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