___45___ . It is an inflammatory disease of the joints that occurs in more than 100 forms, most often involving some joint degeneration. The most common forms of this crippling disease are osteoarthritis, which rends to damage larger weight-bearing joints, and rheumatoid arthritis, which affects up to 10 million people, and tends to begin in smaller joints. In osteoarthritis, also called degenerative joint disease, the onset is more subtle.