Over 54 million people, about 23 percent of all adults in the United States, suffer from arthritis, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports. As sufferers know far too well, having arthritis and other chronic conditions can reduce quality of life and make disease management harder.
According to research, the risks for arthritis is not equal among men and women. With the exception of gout, women have a significantly higher risk for nearly all types of arthritis and in particular osteoarthritis of the knees.
Unfortunately, because the term “arthritis” refers to more than 100 diseases and conditions affecting the joints, honing in on the underlying cause of common symptoms like aches and pains can be taxing.
Could you have arthritis and not know? To help you return to your regularly scheduled lifestyle, here are 7 signs of arthritis every woman needs to know.
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1. Catching
Also known as grinding, if joints like your knees of wrists feel like their tendons are tangled or “catching” on another, this is an early symptom of arthritis, Kevin Shea, MD, an orthopedic surgeon at St. Luke’s Health System in Boise recently told Prevention.
2. Fatigue
With rheumatoid arthritis (RA), the immune system attacks the joints, in turn, leaving your body feeling fatigued. A loss of appetite, which can also induce fatigue, can also be an underlying symptom of arthritis.
