STOCKHOLM— According to new findings, Women may suffer more from rheumatoid arthritis compared to men.

The Finnish researchers believe their findings may be down to physical strength, as women are naturally weaker than men and thus feel the strain more.

The details of their study from 25 countries that included over 6000 patients is published in Arthritis Research and Therapy.

It is already known that the disease is more common in women than in men, more than 70% of those with rheumatoid arthritis are female. In the latest study, the men and women were asked to complete questionnaires about their disease and underwent x-rays and blood tests to gauge how advanced their arthritis was.

Hormones may play a role.

As stated by Professor Alan Silman, a spokesman for the Arthritis Research Campaign, said: “One of the most fascinating and unexplained aspects of rheumatoid arthritis is the strong female excess in incidence, although this narrows substantially after the menopause.

“This provides powerful evidence that hormonal factors are involved in the disease.

“Furthermore men who develop the disease need to have a stronger genetic background than women.

Pain and joint stiffness often accompanies one of the most common forms of arthritis, however different patients manifest different osteoarthritis symptoms which may not be present all the time. Those who do suffer severe osteoarthritis symptoms in their daily lives can be disrupted by the pain and slow mobility, but on the days the symptoms are lighter, this may appear to be normal and suffer no problems at all. As a result confusing patients and those around them as well, which could lead them to doubt the presence of the ailment completely.

Osteoarthritis is a degenerative disease that attacks the cartilage in the joints. This can be caused by an an infection in the joint’s tissue or simply by old age or injury to the joint, in which the cartilage simply wears out. Since the cartilage works as a cushion in the joint and helps provide lubrication for movement, osteoarthritis symptoms can include pain from the joints rubbing against each other and in more severe cases, can cause the joints to lock up.

Usually one of the misconceptions surrounding osteoarthritis symptoms is that the pain will be accompanied by a fever and complete lack of mobility. While in some patients the osteoarthritis symptoms may appear to worsen in wet or cold weather, it is another common misconception that the symptoms are wholly affected by the weather. Although it has been shown that high humidity can affect many osteoarthritis patients and their ability to move without some pain.

Patients May Experience Different Levels Of Pain

Although osteoarthritis usually is first felt in the small joints in the hands and feet, the severity of the pain, as well as its duration can be different among patients. This is because different people have different tolerance to pain, which is one of the osteoarthritis symptoms that is often overlooked. It is important to know the arthritis signs and symptoms, and understanding how they can affect a person’s movements is important to the patient as well as those around them.

As more cartilage disappears in the joints, patients may also hear the bones of the joint coming into contact with each other. This crackling noise will usually be accompanied by pain and in some instances may lock up the joints making movement all but impossible. This is one of the osteoarthritis symptoms that may also come with a burning sensation of the associated muscles and tendons in the affected joint. When the ailment become severe, movement and everyday activities may not be possible for the patient and without early treatment can affect their lifestyle for the rest of their life.

Source: http://arthritispainreliefnews.com/blog/?p=42