According to observations, more than 6, 000 search engine users are interested in the differences between osteoarthritis and arthritis every month. At first glance, the diseases are similar: in both cases, painful damage to the joints occurs. However, ignorance of the main differences of this very defeat is a real trap, which leads to irreparable complications. The nature of these diseases is different, which means that the treatment and prevention will be different from each other. Let's consider each of them in as much detail as possible and find all the similarities and differences.
What is arthritis?
Before addressing the causes and symptoms of the disease, it is worth mentioning the numbers. Arthritis is a disease with more than 200 varieties manifesting itself in various ways. Unlike arthrosis, which speaks for itself with the advent of old age, arthritis appears as early as 25-40 years old. According to the WHO, over 19% of cases of disability were the result of its complications.
Arthritis is an inflammatory joint disease resulting from weakened immune processes or severe infections (intestinal or genitourinary). Disruptions in metabolism, stress, hypothermia often become the cause of the development of inflammation.
The main symptoms of the disease are fever in the center of the lesion, redness, swelling and swelling. In addition, the patient may experience general hyperthermia, loss of strength, conjunctivitis, painful urination.
Arthritis begins with joint pain, but in its advanced form it affects the heart, liver, kidneys, eyes, etc. Often the disease proceeds in a fuzzy asymptomatic form, but its first manifestations are standard:
- sharp pains that occur both during movement and in a state of complete rest;
- persistent or periodic edema occurring at the injury site;
- the aching joint is "stormy" and this can be determined by touch;
- pain and stiffness of movement worries early in the morning (4-5 am).
Advanced arthritis can turn into osteoarthritis and this will be a completely different story.
What is osteoarthritis?
According to WHO observations, 70% of cases of this disease occur in people over the age of 64. Osteoarthritis is called "pianists and athletes" disease, because it is this category that is subject to stress on the wrists, knees, ankles.
Osteoarthritis is a disease that causes the deformation of joint tissues up to complete destruction. It develops due to a decrease in the amount of joint fluid and circulatory disorders. In the affected joint cartilage, nutrition is disturbed, as a result of which it "dries up" and "wears out".
The main job of a joint is to prevent adjacent bones from touching. This allows a person to move freely and painlessly. Dehydrated joint cartilage is slowly but surely destroyed, which leads to the same bone contacts. The more the disease progresses, the more the person feels pain and stiffness of movements, up to disability.
The first symptoms of deformity have their own characteristics:
- joint stiffness after a long rest, which recedes with movement;
- deaf clicking, grinding and creaking;
- painful sensations when walking and physical exertion.
With osteoarthritis, only the joints are affected, without affecting other organs. Inflammatory processes in this case are absent.
Side by side comparison of diseases
To accurately understand how arthritis differs from osteoarthritis, it is worth drawing a parallel between the main differences, summarizing the above:
- Ache. It accompanies both the first and the second disease, but its manifestation is of a different nature. With osteoarthritis, pain appears exclusively during movement and force loads and is often mild. Because of this, a person is not aware of any serious pathologies and does not start timely treatment. However, with each subsequent stage, the pain becomes more intense and begins to discomfort even at rest.
As for arthritis, here it does not always depend on physical activity and is eliminated only with painkillers. The disease is characterized by pain that occurs early in the morning.
- Crunch. Crunching and grinding aren't always a cause for concern. However, with osteoarthritis, it has a distinctive, rougher and drier sound, which increases with each subsequent stage. It becomes a signal of the destroyed cartilage layer and the beginning of bone friction. In arthritis, grinding is not common.
- Deformation. With osteoarthritis, the joint is deformed, and inflammatory processes can also occur. With arthritis, seals, edema, redness and hyperthermia appear, but deformation occurs only if one disease has merged into another.
- Immobility. With osteoarthritis, the affected joint becomes stiff.
- Age threshold. Arthritis can also develop in children, however, according to statistics, the average age of patients is 25-40 years. Osteoarthritis is considered a disease of "old age" and is the result of natural aging. People whose lives are associated with joint stress are also at risk.
- Symptom development. Symptoms of arthritis are felt already in the initial stage of inflammation. The second disease develops slowly and asymptomatically, which is why it deceives the patient, without giving cause for concern.
How is arthritis treated?
The disease makes itself felt acutely already at the first stage, which is why in most cases it is treated in a timely manner. If no lesions of internal organs are found during the diagnosis, recovery proceeds smoothly. The course of treatment of the disease is carried out with the help of anti-inflammatory and immunostimulating drugs, as well as antibiotics. If the situation is ongoing, it is repeated until complete recovery.
Recovery occurs in a complex way, therefore, the patient is prescribed special therapeutic exercises, diet and rejection of bad habits. During this period, any power loads are excluded.
If arthritis is chronic, rheumatoid, it cannot be completely cured. For temporary improvement, powerful drugs are used: cytostatics, corticosteroids. Today, medicine allows you to achieve long-term remission in this disease, avoiding an overabundance of hormonal agents. However, in order to prevent such a development of events, you should not self-medicate and postpone a visit to the doctor.
How is osteoarthritis treated?
The effectiveness of the treatment of arthrosis depends on the stage of the disease: the sooner it is detected, the sooner a person will recover. The age of the patient also plays an important role. As a therapeutic measure, the patient is instructed to regulate the loads on the affected joint, drugs for the liver.
The disease, which has acquired a chronic form, does not permanently resolve, however, modern medicine is able to competently control the disease, preventing the joint from deforming further. In a neglected form, when it cannot be restored, they resort to artificial endoprostheses.
Whichever of the two ailments considered a person encounters, treatment must be competent and timely. At the slightest suspicion of a disease, seek advice from an experienced specialist, because lost time is forever lost in health. To get help from a qualified orthopedic traumatologist, contact the clinic.