If you are female, you are more likely to have arthritis than if you are male. Scientists can’t explain why this happens, but they do know that, of the 31 million adults and children in the United States who have some form of arthritis, more than 20 million are women. About 250,000 children have juvenile rheumatoid arthritis, and of those, more girls than boys are affected.

You can Remain Active

If you do have arthritis, you can preserve your active lifestyle with individualized treatment including medication, special exercises, rest, self-help aids for daily activities and possibly surgery. You can learn to live with the illness and continue to lead a normal life with minimal discomfort by following several guidelines:

1. Follow your doctor’s advice. Take medications as prescribed. Do the exercises recommended and take rest periods.
2. Don’t rely on self-medication, fad diets, or quack remedies.
3. Avoid being overweight. Eat properly. Avoid being overtired.
4. Don’t be rigid in your standards at home. If you have to stop a household chore before completion because you are tired, rest and come back to it later.
5. Talk frankly with your family about your disease arid the limitations it places on you.
6. Encourage participation in household chores by other family members so that you can rest when necessary,
7. Don’t encourage family members to p you because you have arthritis.
8. Seek out special exercise groups for women with arthritis. Learn as much as you can about your disease by keeping up with new developments through literature and other media.