You can live a full and active life with arthritis One in threeAmerican adults suffer from arthritis or some form of chronic joint pain.Women are 1.5 times more likely to develop arthritis than men,and although most people think of it as a condition of the elderly,arthritis can affect anyone at any age. While these diseases are characterized by pain, swelling,and limited movement in joints and connective tissues in the body, living with a rheumatic disease does not necessarily mean living a limited lifestyle.With proper management, a rheumatic disease often does not have to hinder an individual's daily activities. There are two forms of arthritis:osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis.Osteoarthritis is a degenerative joint disease that results in the deterioration of the bones and cartilage that make up the joints.Rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune form of the disease; it occurs when the body's immune system mistakenly attacks itself,causing severe inflammation, swelling,and eventual damage of the joints.Rheumatoid arthritis occurs more frequently in those aged 25 to 50,and although it affects only one-tenth as many people as osteoarthritis, it can be far more debilitating. Just a few years ago,according to Dr.EdwardAllegra, a board-certified rheumatologist at Riverview Medical Center in Red Bank, physicians were able to treat only the symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis,not the underlying causes.Survival rates mirrored that of Stage IV cancer- that's how aggressive this disease is.But now,with new drugs and advanced diagnostic technology,patients no longer have to experience the characteristic"crumpled" hands or extreme pain of rheumatoid arthritis. "The way we treat rheumatoid arthritis has been turned on its head,"attests Dr.Allegra."It is not the grim prognosis it used to be."The important thing,Dr.Allegra stresses, is to get the word out to patients and their primary care physicians so that rheumatoid arthritis can be treated early,correctly and aggressively. Although both rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis have their own set of symptoms, the following are common to all forms of arthritis: constant or recurring pain or tenderness in a joint; stiffness and difficulty using or moving a joint normally; swelling in and around one or more joints; fatigue; warmth and redness in a joint; difficulty performing daily tasks, such as climbing stairs and opening jars. Individuals experiencing similar symptoms are encouraged speak with their primary care physician about a referral to a rheumatologist.