Risk Factors Associated With Arthritis

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.

One cannot control the aging process. As long as one doesn't want to die, the other option is to grow old and face the challenges of old age. At old age, the cartilage may have been exposed to more wear and tear, exposing the bones to grind against themselves. As this happens, inflammation occurs and the pains are strongly felt.

If 64 out of every 100 patients are women, it means that one is likely to have the challenge by being a female. Actually, while the different forms of this condition are peculiar to the female gender, only Ankylosing spondylitis (AS) and gout are known to affect the males more. One can, therefore, conclude from these facts that one's sex is a determining factor and since one cannot control or change his or her sex, it remains a non-modifiable one.

For every 100 patients affected by certain hormones in the body that are responsible for causing the rheumatoid condition, it has happened persistently that about 70 of them are women. This statistics is consistent with what is obtainable in Russellville AR. Hence, it can be concluded that hormones are also part of the risk factors for this condition. Women are therefore supposed to be more attentive to their daily lifestyle and moderate their activities in order to be more exposed to having the 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.

The modifiable risk factors are those factors that individuals can control. For example, a person may choose to be inactive or not in order to control the risk of having joint pain. When people in Russellville AR engage in sedentary lifestyles, their joints become stiffer and the pains can increase with time. It is therefore important to engage in physical activities to reduce the likeliness of having this problem.

One also has to take note of the food that is taken. Some foods increase the chances of having this sickness than others. For example, foods containing a lot of sodium salts will do nobody any good if the intention is to prevent this condition. Instead, bananas and taking a lot of water should be rather encouraged.

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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