Is Arthritis Hereditory?

Just wondering since my mum has it quite bad in her knees, wrists and fingers and has done for as long as I can remember. I know she was quite young when she developed it. Her mum has it a bit as well, but not as bad. How likely is it I will get it, do you think? And could it be as bad as my mum's? I know theres different types of arthritis and I'm not sure which she has. Maybe some of you clever people can work it out from this information, I don't know :smile:

Reply 1

person 34

9

Sometimes it is. But no one really know. defintaley is caused by wear n tear a bit, but if your Mum developed it at a young age, then yes possibly it is.

Reply 2

Vohamanah

OP

16

Thanks for your reply :smile:

Reply 3

Jennybean

13

There are five main types of arthritis. The two which are autoimmune, and so could possibly be hereditory, are rheumatoid and psoriatic. I don't know how well informed you are medically but an autoimmune disease is when your body effectively attacks itself, causing damage, in this case to the cartilage of the joints. Septic arthritis occurs after the onset of a joint infection and gout is due to uric acid building up in the joints and causing inflammation. As your mum's arthritis developed early on, it is unlikely to be the most common cause (that typically experienced by the elderly), osteoarthritis which is caused by "general wear and tear", a joint infection and/or age. However, if your mum has obviously abnormal anatomy this may have caused the onset of osteoarthritis...but it's unlikely. Seeing as your grandma developed it young too, the two types I mentioned first are the most likely. The genetics of autoimmune diseases are pretty complicated (again if you know anything about Biology you'll understand when I say it's because of polygenic inheritance) and it can be very hard to say whether or not you will develop the same disease your family has. However, where autoimmune disease of any kind runs in families it can be a good idea to keep an eye out for other illnesses where the cause is your body turning on itself. The most common (as far as I'm aware) are diabetes and hypothyroidism. Not saying it's particularly likely you will get either of those but it's worth considering that if there is an autoimmune tendency in your family you will have an increased risk of developing an autoimmune disease. In terms of preventative measures for developing arthritis itself you can take a glucosamine and/or chondroitin supplement, eat a diet high in calcium and fatty acids and take regular exercise (preferably non-weight bearing e.g. swimming) to strengthen your ligaments.

Reply 4

Vohamanah

OP

16

Thankyou so much for your useful reply. I did try to rep you but I need to spread my wild oats a little more apparently!!

Diabetes does run in my family albeit not in my close family (yet) but my great aunt has it, as do her children, and my nan refuses to get tested but very likely has it also. At the moment I am quite healthy. I do regular excercise (something my mum has never done) and eat a healthy diet.

I will take your advice on preventative measures. I have seen how badly my mum has been affected by it because some days she can barely walk. :frown:

I also have career goals like my mum has never had and arthritis may make it harder to achieve these, I feel.

Since I know my mum developed it early I suppose it is something I need to start considering although I am only early 20s.

Reply 5

Jennybean

13

pinkpinkuk

Thankyou so much for your useful reply. I did try to rep you but I need to spread my wild oats a little more apparently!!

Diabetes does run in my family albeit not in my close family (yet) but my great aunt has it, as do her children, and my nan refuses to get tested but very likely has it also. At the moment I am quite healthy. I do regular excercise (something my mum has never done) and eat a healthy diet.

I will take your advice on preventative measures. I have seen how badly my mum has been affected by it because some days she can barely walk. :frown:

I also have career goals like my mum has never had and arthritis may make it harder to achieve these, I feel.

Since I know my mum developed it early I suppose it is something I need to start considering although I am only early 20s.

Aww I'm touched lol, you've very welcome. If diabetes runs in your family you can also help prevent this through exercise and keeping a real watch on what you eat - if you're careful to limit your sugar intake you can significantly reduce the damage you do to the mechanism which causes you to release insulin. It sounds like you are better positioned in terms of looking after yourself than your relatives, so I wouldn't get too bogged down worrying about contracting arthritis just because your mum has it. It's perfectly possible you have a combination of genes which puts you no more at risk than anyone with no family history of the disease so with a sensible attitude to your health it shouldn't be something you have to worry about.

Reply 6

lawzer

im pretty sure it is...i was asked when they thought i might have it

Is Arthritis Hereditory?

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