Some Arthritis Risk Factors You Should Know

By Anthony Martin


Certain health conditions are caused by risk factors that are both modifiable and not modifiable. It is worse when the factors cannot be modified since they are natural and bound to occur. For instance, in the case of arthritis, some modifiable risk factors for it include diet, inactivity, smoking, joint injuries, and occupation. On the other hand, one cannot control things like hormones, age, sex and one's genetic makeup. This is why these factors are termed non-modifiable.

Age is not a modifiable risk factor because one cannot control it. As long as one grows, there is every tendency that the joints would become stiff due to stress or prolonged inactivity. The cartilage also wears out as one grows up, leaving the bones to interact with each other thereby causing pain and inflammation.

Your sex also determines the likeliness that you will have this condition. Even though both male and females are predisposed to this, females are more likely to have it than men. In fact, studies show that 64 out of every 100 people suffering from this are women. Also, the female gender has more forms of the illness than the males. It is only Ankylosing spondylitis (AS) and gout that one can see more in men than in females.

One should also consider hormones when trying to determine the likely causes of this problem. There are certain hormones in the body which make it more pronounced in the females than in males. These hormones affect it to the point that one can say that 70 out of every affected patient will be women having the rheumatoid type. In other words, fewer men are affected by the hormones that can cause this condition.

Another cause of the rheumatoid type is the gene known as human leukocyte antigen (HLA). This suggests that one's likeliness of having the problem is pronounced if it can be proved that either one or both of the parents suffered from the condition. Since a person cannot control the existence of genes in the body, other factors, such as the modifiable ones, must be controlled to such an extent as to balance the effect of the natural ones.

To reduce the number of these patients in Russellville AR today, people must learn to be active. Instead of sitting at home all day, it will make more sense to take a walk or jog for about 30 minutes regularly. This will make the bones to be more flexible and the stiffness that causes pains at the joints will disappear. Since this is what one can do by making a decision, it can be said that activity or inactivity is a modifiable risk factor.

Again, the diet one takes plays a major role. Taking foods rich in sodium salts will increase one's chances of having this health problem. On the other hand, taking fruits like bananas will reduce the risk.

Joint pain and inflammation can be worse with people who smoke a lot. Clinical studies prove that smokers are more susceptible to this condition than those who do not engage in the act. As a matter of fact, even when the bones should heal naturally, smoking will prevent this and the condition even becomes worse.




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