Osteoarthritis Theory

In his article featured in the global health magazine The Lancet, author Paul Creamer attempts to give an explanation of the causes and effects of osteoarthritis, which is one of the most common forms of arthritis to date. In his article Creamer describes the disease as “not a single disorder, but rather a group of overlapping distinct diseases” (Creamer, 1997, pg. 1) that are caused by both mechanical and biological events. Creamer claims that osteoarthritis “leads to a softening of the bone, fibrillation, ulceration, loss of articular cartilage, sclerosis and eburnation of subchondral bone” (Creamer, 1997, pg. 1) which can cause joint pain, morning stiffness, and loss of function in body parts containing the disease. There are a range of
These three sub-disciplines help convey Creamer’s theory of the causes and effects of osteoarthritis as show that the disease affects a wide group of people and under what circumstances. Linguistic anthropology reveals that physicians have given the disease a number of different names in association with the effects of osteoarthritis. There are a number of names associated with osteoarthritis as it is also referred to as a “degenerative joint disease” or “wear-and-tear arthritis” (Creamer, 1997, pg. 4). The use of these terms in referral to the disease proves that the disease is wide-spread, otherwise the development of these terms in order to promote clear communication of the effects of the condition would not be needed. Physical anthropology plays a large role in the causes of osteoarthritis as sex, inherited disorders, mutations of the type II collagen gene, and disorders of the bones and joints are major physical factors associated with the disease. With sex being the main physical factor, it has been taken into account the women are at higher risk of having the disease than men because of a depletion of estrogen that occurs after menopause. This causes bones to become weaker and makes it more likely for fractures and holes to form in the