Arthritis is a group of diseases affecting people of all ages and can be devastating, debilitating and fatal. The more than 100 types of arthritis and musculoskeletal diseases fall into two major groups:
- Osteoarthritis — Breakdown of cartilage in joints causes bones to rub together resulting in pain, stiffness, and eventual loss of use. Some forms of osteoarthritis appear to be genetically driven, while others are a result of injury, overuse, or advanced age.
- Inflammatory arthritis — This is a general term used to describe auto-immune forms of the disease. In inflammatory arthritis, the body's own immune system attacks healthy joints and tissues, causing inflammation and joint damage. Rheumatoid arthritis is the most common form of inflammatory arthritis. Other forms include ankylosing spondylitis, psoriatic arthritis, and lupus among others.
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Musculoskeletal (MSK) conditions represent up to one-fifth of visits to primary care practitioners, but there is a lack of confidence (including a lack of knowledge and skills) among primary care physicians in performing an arthritis screening assessment. This means that people with the disease are not being diagnosed and consequently are not having it managed.
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