According to observations, more than 6, 000 search engine users are interested in the differences between osteoarthritis and arthritis each month. At first glance, the diseases are similar: in both cases, there is painful damage to the joints. However, ignorance of the main differences of this defeat is a trap that leads to irreparable complications. The nature of these diseases is different, which means that treatment and prevention will differ from each other. Let's look at each of them in as much detail as possible and find all the similarities and differences.
What is arthritis?
Before we address the causes and symptoms of the disease, it is worth mentioning the figures. Arthritis is a disease with more than 200 varieties that manifests itself in various ways. Unlike arthrosis, which speaks for itself with age, arthritis appears as early as 25-40 years of age. According to the WHO, more than 19% of disability cases are the result of its complications.
Arthritis is an inflammatory disease of the joints that results from a weakened immune process or severe infections (intestinal or genitourinary). Metabolic disorders, 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 edema. In addition, the patient may experience general hyperthermia, loss of strength, conjunctivitis, painful urination.
Arthritis begins with pain in the joints, but in an advanced form it affects the heart, liver, kidneys, eyes, etc. Often the disease passes in a blurred asymptomatic form, but the first manifestations are standard:
- sharp pains that occur both on the move and in a state of complete rest;
- persistent or recurrent edema occurring at the site of the lesion;
- the painful joint is "stormy", and this can be determined by touch;
- pain and stiffness of movement worry in the early morning hours (4-5 hours).
Advanced arthritis can develop 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 older than 64 years. Osteoarthritis is called the disease of "pianists and athletes" because it is precisely this category that is exposed to stress on the joints, knees and ankles.
Osteoarthritis is a disease that provokes deformation of joint tissues to complete destruction. It develops due to a decrease in the amount of joint fluid and circulatory disorders. In the affected articular cartilage, the diet is disturbed, due to which it "dries out" and "consumes".
The main job of the joint is to prevent the adjacent bones from touching each other. This allows the person to move freely and painlessly. Dehydrated articular cartilage is slowly but surely destroyed, leading to the same bone contacts. The more the disease progresses, the more people experience pain and stiffness of movement, all the way to disability.
The first symptoms of deformity have their own characteristics:
- joint stiffness after a long rest, pulling with movement;
- blunt clicks, grinding and crushing;
- painful sensations when walking and physical exertion.
In osteoarthritis, only the joints are affected, without affecting other organs. Inflammatory processes in this case are absent.
Parallel comparison of diseases
To understand exactly how arthritis differs from osteoarthritis, it is worth drawing a parallel between the main differences, summarizing the above:
- Pain. It follows both the first and the second disease, but its manifestation is of a different nature. In osteoarthritis, the pain occurs exclusively during movement and strength loading, and is often mild. For this reason, the person is not aware of serious pathologies and does not start timely treatment. However, with each subsequent phase, the pain becomes more intense and begins to torment even at rest.
As for arthritis, here it does not always depend on physical activity and is removed only by painkillers. The disease is characterized by pain that occurs in the early morning hours.
- Crunching. Crushing and grinding is not always a cause for concern. However, with osteoarthritis, it has an unusual sound, rougher and drier, which increases with each subsequent phase. This becomes a signal of the destroyed cartilage layer and the beginning of bone friction. Grinding is not common in arthritis.
- Deformation. In arthrosis, the joint is deformed, and inflammatory processes can occur. In arthritis, seals appear, edema, redness and hyperthermia appear, but the deformity occurs only if one disease has grown into another.
- Immobility. With osteoarthritis, the affected joint becomes stiff.
- Age threshold. Arthritis can develop even 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 stress on the joints are also at risk.
- Development of symptoms. The symptoms of arthritis are felt already in the initial stage of inflammation. Another disease develops slowly and asymptomatically, which misleads the patient without cause for concern.
How is arthritis treated?
The disease is felt acutely already in the first phase, which is why in most cases it is treated in a timely manner. If no lesions of the internal organs are detected during the diagnosis, recovery proceeds smoothly. The course of treatment of the disease is carried out with the help of anti-inflammatory and immunosuppressive drugs, as well as antibiotics. If the situation is ongoing, it is repeated until complete recovery.
Recovery takes place in a complex way, so the patient is prescribed special therapeutic exercises, diet and rejection of bad habits. During this period, all loads are excluded.
If arthritis is chronic, rheumatoid, it cannot be completely cured. For temporary improvement, powerful drugs are used - cytostatics, corticosteroids. Today, medicine makes it possible to achieve long-term remission of this disease, avoiding excessive amounts of hormonal agents. However, to prevent such a development, you should not treat yourself and delay a visit to the doctor.
How is osteoarthritis treated?
The effectiveness of osteoarthritis treatment depends on the stage of the disease: the sooner it is detected, the sooner the person will recover. The patient's age also plays an important role. As a therapeutic measure, the patient was assigned to regulate the load on the affected joint, to treat the liver.
The disease, which has acquired a chronic form, does not finally recede, however, modern medicine is able to competently control the disease, preventing the joint from further deforming. In a neglected form, when it cannot be restored, they resort to artificial endoprosthetics.
Whichever of the two diseases considered is encountered, treatment should be competent and timely. At the slightest suspicion of the disease, seek the advice of an experienced specialist, because lost time is forever lost health. To seek the help of a qualified orthopedic traumatologist, contact the clinic.