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Types of Arthritis: What You Should Know

Types of Arthritis: What You Should Know

Author: Dr Nnenna Chiloli, MBBS, MPH

Reviewed by Dr Azuka Chinweokwu Ezeike, MBBS, FWACS, FMCOG, MSc (PH)

Highlights.


  • Arthritis is a condition that affects the joints.
  • It can affect one or more joints.
  • Arthritis affects men, women, children, and all races.
  • Some get it more than others.
  • There are over 100 kinds of arthritis.
  • The two most common forms of arthritis are osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis.
  • Arthritis could develop gradually into a long-lasting illness and persist in the body for years.
  • Treatment varies based on the type and causes.

Introduction

What do you picture when someone says they have arthritis? A stiff knee? A swollen wrist?. The truth is that arthritis can affect people of any age and manifest in various ways.Let’s look deep into arthritis, and learn about types, why they occur, what they feel like, and how to treat them.

What is Arthritis?

Arthritis means that the joints are inflamed. It is a general term for conditions that affect the joints and tissues around them [1]. Arthritis is a common health condition and a major cause of disability [2].

Although it can develop in children, teens, and younger adults, arthritis is most frequently observed in persons over 65 years of age. It is more common in women than men and in people who are overweight, those with lower socio–economic status [2].

Over 100 distinct forms of arthritis exist, each with its own causes and treatment modalities. Although symptoms differ depending on the kind of arthritis, stiffness, swelling, and joint pain are common [1].Symptoms may

  • Come and go
  • Stay about the same for years
  • Progress or get worse over time

It can be 

  • Mild
  • Moderate
  • Severe

Permanent joint changes might result from arthritis. Although these changes, such as bent finger joints, may be obvious, the damage is sometimes only noticeable on X-ray.Some forms of arthritis also affect the skin, kidneys, lungs, eyes, heart, and other body parts.

Types of arthritis

There are different types of arthritis; however, most cases fall into the following major groups.

  • Those resulting from deterioration(wear and tear), such as osteoarthritis
  • Those due to infection by a specific microorganism e.g, septic arthritis
  • Those possibly due to infectious origin but of unproven cause, e.g, rheumatoid arthritis
  • Those due to direct trauma to the joint
  • Those due to metabolic causes, e.g, gout


Common types of arthritis are as follows;

  1. Osteoarthritis

Osteoarthritis is the most common type of arthritis, occurring in roughly 15% of the population [3]. It is usually uneven, for example, a patient may have crippling osteoarthritis in one knee while the other leg functions nearly normally. It results from the weakening of the joint cartilage.Although osteoarthritis can occur in any joint, it typically affects the

Risk factors for osteoarthritis include personal and joint-level factors.Personal factors are;

Joint-level factors are;

  • Joint injury
  • Malalignment
  • Muscle weakness
  • Repetitive joint use—osteoarthritis is more common among people in occupations that require prolonged squatting, bending, lifting, and standing.


Symptoms of osteoarthritis include the following;

  • Joint pain. This is the most typical symptom of osteoarthritis. Activity usually exacerbates the pain, especially after a period of inactivity.
  • Stiffness in the morning that often subsides in less than 30 minutes.
  • Swelling.


Treatment of osteoarthritis

  • Non-drug treatment includes exercise, weight reduction, etc.
  • Drug treatment involves the use of drugs such as Acetaminophen, Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs.


  1. Rheumatoid arthritis

Rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune disease in which the immune system attacks the body’s tissues [1]. It mainly affects the small joints of the hands and feet [4]. The cause of rheumatoid arthritis is not known. It can lead to serious joint damage and incapacity. 

Risk factors include the following;


Most commonly affected joints are;

People with rheumatoid arthritis typically present with:


In up to 90% of cases, early diagnosis and treatment of rheumatoid arthritis can prevent or significantly decrease the progression of joint deterioration, preventing irreparable disability.

Treatment of rheumatoid arthritis

A group of drugs called disease–modifying antirheumatic drugs, e.g, methotrexate, are the major drugs used in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis. 

Others include;


  1. Gout


Gout is a form of arthritis that involves the deposition of urate crystals in and around the joints [5]. It usually affects one joint, particularly during the initial attack.

Major risk factors for gout include;


Commonly affected joints are;


Most cases of gout are characterised by the abrupt onset of serious inflammation of one joint, especially a peripheral joint in the leg, but may later involve other joints of the body. Treatment is with drugs like


  1. Psoriatic arthritis

Psoriatic arthritis is an inflammatory musculoskeletal disease associated with cutaneous psoriasis(an autoimmune disease that is associated with multiple coexisting conditions, manifesting as elevated, scaly, reddish skin patches). It may begin in childhood and affects men and women equally, with a peak age of onset of 40 and 50 years [6]. 

Subtypes of psoriatic arthritis include;

  • The type that affects two to four joints only on one side of the body or joints that don’t match (oligoarticular subtype).
  • The type that affects five or more joints( polyarticular subtype). It affects the joints on both sides of the body equally.
  • The type that affects joints at the tips of the fingers, toes, or both(distal subtype). It usually occurs with other subtypes, but can occur alone in  5% of patients.
  • A damaging and deforming subtype with significant bone loss(Arthritis mutilans).
  • The subtype that primarily involves the joints of the spine and sacrum(spondyloarthritis).


Risk factors of psoriatic arthritis are;


Treatment of psoriatic arthritis involves the use of the following drugs


Less common types of arthritis.

  1. Reactive arthritis

Reactive arthritis is an immune-mediated arthritis that develops after a digestive or genitourinary system infection, such as Salmonella, Shigella, Chlamydia, Yersinia, etc[7]. It is commonly observed in persons aged 18–40 for both men and women. It is characterised by;


Treatment includes;

  1. Non-drug treatment.
  • Mild exercise
  • physiotherapy
  1. Drug treatment
  • Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs(NSAIDS)
  • Corticosteroids
  • Antibiotics are used if an infection is established


2. Septic arthritis

Septic arthritis is a serious medical condition that occurs when a joint becomes infected with microorganisms such as bacteria, viruses, fungi etc.Infections commonly occur in the knees, but can also affect the hip, shoulder, ankle, elbow, and wrist.

It may present with the following symptoms;


Causes of septic arthritis.

Septic arthritis is caused by the following organisms;

  • Bacteria, e.g, Staphylococcus aureus
  • Viruses,e.g, hepatitis B and C.
  • Fungi, particularly in those with compromised immune systems.


Risk factors include the following;


Treatment of septic arthritis is dependent on the causative organisms, but commonly used drugs are;

  • Antibiotics such as ceftriaxone
  • Antifungals like azoles and amphotericin B.

3. Lupus-related arthritis

Lupus is a chronic illness that can cause swelling and pain in any part of the body. It’s an autoimmune disease, which means that the body’s immune system, which normally protects us against infection and illness, starts to attack the body’s own tissues instead.When lupus affects the joints, it causes lupus arthritis. It commonly affects the hand and knee joints.

Symptoms include the following;

  • Joint pain ( the pain often moves from joint to joint)
  • Swelling
  • Stiffness


Treatment includes the following;

4. Juvenile idiopathic arthritis

Juvenile idiopathic arthritis is a chronic inflammatory arthritis persisting for more than 6 weeks, with onset before the age of 16 years.

Treatment involves the use of drugs such as corticosteroids and disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs.

5. Ankylosing spondylitis

Ankylosing spondylitis is a chronic illness that commonly affects the spine and pelvic joints. It affects 1 in 200 individuals and is usually detected many years after the onset of symptoms.

It usually occurs in the second decade of life and rarely occurs after the age of 45. Men are more prone to the disease.

Symptoms include;

  • Back pain
  • Stiffness in the lower back and hips, especially in the morning or after a period of inactivity.


Commonly affected areas are;

  • Spine
  • Pelvis
  • Lower back
  • Hips
  • Shoulder 
  • Ribs 


Treatment of ankylosing spondylitisTreatment aims to relieve pain and prevent complications or damage to the spinal cord. The treatment includes;

  • Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs such as ibuprofen
  • Tumour necrosis factor blockers
  • Interleukin 17 blockers
  • Janus kinase inhibitors


Conclusion

Take control of your joint health by recognising the causes, symptoms, and treatment options for various types of joint pain. Don’t allow joint pain to hold you back; explore your options and consult your doctor.



References:

1.      CDC. Arthritis. 2025 [cited 2025 Jun 2]. Arthritis basics. Available from: https://www.cdc.gov/arthritis/basics/index.html

2.      Badley EM, Wilfong JM, Chan CH, Canizares M, Perruccio AV. I don’t know what type of arthritis I have: A population-based comparison of people with arthritis who knew their specific type and those who didn’t. PLOS ONE [Internet]. 2022 Jun 21 [cited 2025 Jun 2];17(6):e0270029. Available from: https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0270029

3.      Johnson VL, Hunter DJ. The epidemiology of osteoarthritis. Best Practice & Research Clinical Rheumatology [Internet]. 2014 Feb 1 [cited 2025 Jun 3];28(1):5–15. Available from: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1521694214000059

4.      Wasserman AM. Diagnosis and management of rheumatoid arthritis. afp [Internet]. 2011 Dec 1 [cited 2025 Jun 3];84(11):1245–52. Available from: https://www.aafp.org/pubs/afp/issues/2011/1201/p1245.html

5.      Kuo CF, Grainge MJ, Zhang W, Doherty M. Global epidemiology of gout: prevalence, incidence and risk factors. Nat Rev Rheumatol [Internet]. 2015 Nov [cited 2025 Jun 3];11(11):649–62. Available from: https://www.nature.com/articles/nrrheum.2015.91

6.      Ocampo D V, Gladman D. Psoriatic arthritis. F1000Res [Internet]. 2019 Sep 20 [cited 2025 Jun 6];8:F1000 Faculty Rev-1665. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6758836/7.      Selmi C, Gershwin ME. Diagnosis and classification of reactive arthritis. Autoimmunity Reviews [Internet]. 2014 Apr 1 [cited 2025 Jun 6];13(4):546–9. Available from: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1568997214000172     


Disclaimer:
The information provided on this website is for general educational and informational purposes only. It is not intended to replace professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition

Published June 23, 2025

An elderly woman in pain grasping her left wrist with her right hand