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Attention, chocolate lovers: You may not be able to help yourselves. Swiss and British scientists have linked the widespread love of chocolate to a chemical "signature" that may be programmed into our metabolic systems.
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Pain in the Joints - Joint Pain

Overview, Causes, & Risk Factors

Joint pain is a common symptom with many possible causes.

What is going on in the body?

A joint is the place where two bones come together. For example, the knee joint is the place where the thigh bone and shin bone meet. Most people have one or more sore joints at some point in their lives. The joints of the arms and legs are most commonly affected.

What are the causes and risks of the condition?

There are many possible causes of joint pain. The causes can be divided into categories:

wear-and-tear, such as from overuse, injury, or osteoarthritis. Osteoarthritis is the most common form of arthritis, or joint inflammation.

conditions that affect metabolism, such as gout and pseudogout. These conditions result from materials being deposited into the joints.

infections of the joint, sometimes called septic arthritis. Infections usually spread to the joint from other areas of the body. Neisseria gonorrhoeae\ bacteria. The infection is usually acquired through sexual contact. ',CAPTION,'Gonorrhea in Males');" onmouseout="return nd();">Gonorrhea and Treponema pallidum\ bacteria. Less often, syphilis is transmitted from a pregnant woman to her baby. This form of syphilis is known as \congenital syphilis.\ ',CAPTION,'Syphilis');" onmouseout="return nd();"> syphilis, two sexually transmitted diseases, can cause joint pain. Borrelia burgdorferi.\ It is passed to humans through tick bites. ',CAPTION,'Lyme Disease');" onmouseout="return nd();">Lyme disease, an infection that results from a tick bite, and other infections can also cause arthritis.

autoimmune disorders, in which a person's body produces antibodies against its own tissues. These disorders include rheumatoid arthritis and systemic lupus erythematosus.

reactive arthritis, which means joint pain and inflammation caused by infections in other areas of the body. This type of joint pain can result from infectious diarrhea or the sexually transmitted disease Chlamydia trachomatis.\ Sexually transmitted disease refers to any contagious disease transmitted from one person to another during sexual contact. In men, the infection normally involves the urethra. The urethra is the tube that carries urine from the bladder to the outside of the body. ',CAPTION,'Chlamydia Infection in Males');" onmouseout="return nd();">chlamydia.

bone diseases, such as Paget's disease, which causes inflamed bones and bone tumors or cancer near joints.

medications, such as penicillin or procainamide

diseases, such as the flu

Other causes are also possible. In some cases, no cause can be found.

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