Arthritis causes pain and loss of movement. It can affect joints in any part of the body. Arthritis is usually chronic, meaning it can occur over a long period of time.  The more serious forms can cause swelling, warmth, redness, and pain. The three most common kinds of arthritis in older people are osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, and gout.  

Osteoarthritis (OA) is a painful, degenerative joint disease that often involves the hips, knees, neck, lower back, or the small joints of the hands. OA usually develops in joints that are injured by repeated overuse in the performance of a particular job or a favorite sport or from carrying around excess body weight. Eventually this injury or repeated impact thins or wears away the cartilage that cushions the ends of the bones in the joint so that the bones rub together, causing a grating sensation. Joint flexibility is reduced, bony spurs develop, and the joint swells.  

While osteoporosis and osteoarthritis are two very different medical conditions with little in common, the similarity of their names causes great confusion. These conditions develop differently, have different symptoms, are diagnosed differently, and are treated differently.   

For additional information about the similarities and differences between Osteoporosis and Arthritis, visit the Osteoporosis and Related Bone Disease~National Resource Center.  For more information about osteoporosis, visit FirstGov for Seniors Osteoporosis page.

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is an autoimmune inflammatory disease that usually involves the hands, wrists, elbows, shoulders, knees, feet, or ankles.  An autoimmune disease is one in which the body releases enzymes that attack its own healthy tissues. In RA, these enzymes destroy the linings of joints causing pain, swelling, stiffness, deformity, and reduced movement and function. People with RA also may have systemic symptoms, such as fatigue, fever, weight loss, eye inflammation, anemia, subcutaneous nodules (bumps under the skin), or pleurisy (a lung inflammation).  

Gout occurs most often in older men. It affects the toes, ankles, elbows, wrists, and hands. An acute attack of gout is very painful. Swelling may cause the skin to pull tightly around the joint and make the area red or purple and very tender. Medicines can stop gout attacks, as well as prevent further attacks and damage to the joints. 

Half of all people age 65 and older have arthritis. There are over 100 different forms of arthritis and many different symptoms and treatments.  By the year 2020, as the baby boom generation ages, an estimated 60 million people will have arthritis.  Besides the physical toll, arthritis costs the country nearly $65 billion annually. Arthritis is second only to heart disease as a cause of work disability and although cost-effective interventions are available to reduce the burden of arthritis, they are currently underused.  

The web sites below provide resources from government agencies, private companies, and nonprofit organizations.  Specifically, the web sites supply additional information about the symptoms, diagnosis, treatment, and current research about arthritis.    

(Sources: National Institute on Aging, Arthritis Advice and the Osteoporosis and Related Bone Disease~National Resource Center)

Government Resources:  

Centers for Disease Control Provides Online Arthritis Information   
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Chronic Disease and Health Promotion provides online information about arthritis, including the National Arthritis Action Plan.   

National Institute on Aging Provides Arthritis Advice
The National Institute on Aging explains the common forms of arthritis describes treatment options, discusses unproven remedies, and illustrates common warning signs.  

Food and Drug Administration Provides Online Arthritis Publications
The FDA provides arthritis publications that contain important health information for older adults: 

Coping with Arthritis in Its Many Forms, Help Your Arthritis Treatment Work, Easy Reader Booklet, and Help Your Arthritis Treatment Work, Spanish Version.           

National Institute of Arthritis and Musculosketal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS)  
The National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS) leads the Federal effort on research into the causes, treatment, and prevention of arthritis and musculoskeletal and skin diseases, the training of basic and clinical scientists to carry out this research, and the dissemination of information on research progress to improve public health.  NIAMS provides online resources, such as, "Questions and Answers About Arthritis and Exercise" and "Questions and Answers About Arthritis Pain".  

NonProfit and Private Resources:  

Arthritis Foundation   
The mission of the Arthritis Foundation is to support research to find the cure for and prevention of arthritis and to improve the quality of life for those affected by arthritis.  

Arthritis National Research Foundation  
The Arthritis National Research Foundation provides funding for highly qualified researchers associated with major research institutes, universities and hospitals throughout the country seeking to discover new knowledge for the prevention, treatment and cure of arthritis and related rheumatic diseases.  

American College of Rheumatology (ACR)  
The American College of Rheumatology (ACR) is the professional organization of rheumatologists and associated health professionals who share a dedication to healing, preventing disability, and curing the more than 100 types of arthritis and related disabling and sometimes fatal disorders of the joints, muscles, and bones.  

ArthritisWebSite.com  
Empatheon, an organization committed to helping people with chronic disease cultivate and maintain healthy and positive lifestyles, hosts the ArthritisWebSite.com. By using proprietary personalization technology and the Internet, Empatheon seeks to reach people who live with chronic disease and empower them with credible information, supportive community, and individualized interchange.  

Arthritis Resource Center at HealingWell.com  
HealingWell.com is a thriving community, information and resource site to medical news, health articles and information, patient stories, message boards and chat rooms, free email, newsletters, books, wellness products and disease-related web sites for patients, caregivers, and family coping with disabling diseases, disorders, or chronic illness.             

Missouri Arthritis Rehabilitation Research and Training Center (MARRTC)     
We are physicians, physical therapists, health educators, writers, nurses, biologists and social scientists who have the common goal of improving life for everyone with arthritis. Some of us also have arthritis.  MARRTC is the only federally funded arthritis rehabilitation research and training center in the country.  

Arthritis Research Campaign (ARC)
The Arthritis Research Campaign (ARC), founded in 1936, raises funds to promote medical research into the cause, treatment and cure of arthritic conditions: to educate medical students, doctors and allied healthcare professionals about arthritis and to provide information to people affected by arthritis and to the general public.  

Arthritis - Doctor's Guide to the Internet  
Find the latest medical news and information for patients or friends/parents of patients diagnosed with arthritis.  This site provides medical news and alerts, Alzheimer’s information, discussion groups and newsgroups, and other related sites.