An important link has been found between sex hormones and the development of arthritis, and this new information could help protect your future wellness but alerting you to the fact that you are at risk.
Arthritis is a painful condition that affects the wellness of your joints, characterised by painful swelling and inflammation, especially in the knees, as well as other joints in the body. A new study has shown a link between the condition and low testosterone.
Researchers found that men who had lower levels of testosterone in their blood were more likely to develop arthritis in later life. The hormonal change preceded the start of rheumatoid arthritis, and also has an influence on how severely the patient gets the condition, so may prove both a diagnostic indicator and a possible pointer towards treatment, or even preventative measures.
In rheumatoid arthritis, the body’s own immune system attacks the joints, and this is what causes the damage that results in painful swelling. This can result in sufferers finding daily tasks a challenge and having restricted movement to the extent that holding things or walking can be painful. It has now been proved that these people have lower levels of testosterone in their blood, but what is not clear is whether the low testosterone is the cause of the arthritis, or whether people with arthritis end up suffering from a lowering in testosterone as part of their condition.
Whatever way around it is, it still holds true that those with low testosterone are at an increased risk of developing rheumatoid arthritis, thus testing the blood for testosterone levels could give doctors an idea of which patients were likely to develop arthritis in the future, and take preventative action based on the results.