Q3. Does arthritis only affect older people?

A3. Most cases of arthritis are related to the ageing process so will affect older people. This is because the joints become subject to wear and tear (like the rest of our bodies) over the years and this damage shows up as conditions such as arthritis.

If you think about it, we put a great deal of pressure and stress on our bodies. Even something simple such as walking exerts a certain amount of force on the joints which accumulates over the years.

Plus the body is much more resilient in younger people. It bounces back from illnesses or injuries that much quicker and usually without any long term effects.

There is also the fact that we tend to lose bone density as we age which increases the risk of fractures and conditions such as this.

But there are a few types of arthritis which develop in young people. For example there is a version known as ‘juvenile idiopathic arthritis’which only occurs in children and teenagers.

If you are the parent of a child who has arthritis then find out more about their condition in our arthritis in children section.

However, anyone can get arthritis irrespective of their age.

Find out more about why this happens in our risk factors for arthritis section.

Arthritis FAQs:

Arthritis FAQs

Guide to Arthritis

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