Recently, there has been a significant surge in arthritis cases among young adults. This can be highly concerning for many. It is a common misconception that Arthritis is a condition that just occurs in older people.
But the truth is people from any age group can get diagnosed with Arthritis. This condition leads to inflammation in the joints, which can further lead to extreme pain, swelling, and stiffness.
Arthritis refers to the wear and tear of the cartilage that is responsible for cushioning your joints. This makes even the slightest movements painful due to increased friction between the bones.
This can negatively impact one’s overall lifestyle, making it challenging to perform day-to-day activities like walking, climbing stairs, and bending. It becomes crucial to be aware that young adults are also prone to Arthritis for early detection and timely intervention.
Symptoms of Arthritis in young adults
The intensity and severity of the symptoms experienced due to Arthritis can vary from person to person.
The common symptoms of Arthritis can include stubborn joint pain that sustains for a longer duration, tenderness, deformities, inflammation, and swelling, making it extremely difficult and painful to perform day-to-day activities.
Other symptoms that may occur during Arthritis are fatigue, reduced range of motion, skin rashes, fever, itchy scalp, and unintended weight loss. Experiencing these symptoms can take a heavy toll on one’s emotional well-being, which can lead to anxiety, stress, and depression.
Factors that can contribute to Arthritis in young adults
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Genetics: Your genes play a crucial role when it comes to your physical health. A family history of being diagnosed with Arthritis can significantly increase your risk of contracting arthritis. So if someone from your family members or relatives were diagnosed with joint-related conditions, then you are more susceptible to developing it too at an early age.
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Juvenile Arthritis: It is a specific type of autoimmune disease that appears during childhood. Although sometimes, it goes on its own, it may persist to adulthood, known as Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis.
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Poor dietary habits: If your diet is not well-balanced or you do not complete your daily intake of nutrition, then you are more likely to experience joint problems. Over time, lack of nutrition can lead to inflammation in the joints. Consuming highly processed food or foods with excessive sugars may increase the risk of developing Arthritis in young adults.
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Obesity: Being overweight or obese can put additional pressure on your joints, knees, and hips. Over time, this extreme pressure can lead to the wear and tear of the cartilage. This can increase the likelihood of joint problems like Arthritis and osteoarthritis.
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Autoimmune disease: In autoimmune diseases like Rheumatoid Arthritis, Spondyloarthropathy, Psoriasis, etc, the body’s own immune system attacks the healthy tissue, usually in the joints and sometimes the organs. It can affect single or multiple joints at an early stage. Generally, this disease is treated with a group of medicines called Disease Modifying Drugs. However, what we have seen in our population is the patients discontinued medicines on their own or tried alternate treatment methods, and they present at the end stage joint disease at which knee replacement is the only option left.
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Injury: A previous history of being injured can hamper your joint health. Injuries like fractures and ligament tears can heighten the risk of developing Arthritis in later life. Even minor injuries like slips and falls can lead to inflammation, chronic pain, and long-term joint issues.
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Sedentary lifestyle: A deskbound lifestyle where one needs to sit in one place for a longer duration can lead to physical inactivity. Lack of physical activity can weaken our muscles and ligaments, which are responsible for supporting the joints. It can cause chronic pain and inflammation.
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Gout: It happens when there is too much uric acid in the body. Uric acid is the substance formed during protein digestion. While gout is said to be more common in the elderly, it can also occur in young adults, leading to inflammatory Arthritis.
Detecting Arthritis at its early stage can help manage the condition and the symptoms experienced. Remember to initiate timely treatment to manage Arthritis.
