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 there is a painful damage to the joints. However, not knowing the main differences of this defeat is a real trap that leads to irreparable complications. The nature of these diseases is different, ie treatment and prevention will be different. Let's take a closer look at each of them and find all the similarities and differences.
What is arthritis?
Before dealing with the causes and symptoms of the disease, it is necessary to record the figures. Arthritis is a disease with more than 200 types that manifest themselves in different ways. Unlike osteoarthritis, which speaks of itself with the advent of old age, arthritis occurs at the age of 25-40 years. According to the WHO, more than 19% of disability cases are the result of complications.
Arthritis is an inflammatory joint disease caused by weakened immune processes or severe infections (intestinal or urogenital). Metabolic disorders, stress, hypothermia often lead to the development of inflammation.
The main symptoms of the disease are fever, redness, swelling and edema in the lesion center. In addition, the patient may have general hyperthermia, loss of strength, conjunctivitis, painful urination.
Arthritis begins with pain in the joints, but in advanced form affects the heart, liver, kidneys, eyes, etc. Has an effect.
- acute pain, both in motion and at complete rest;
- persistent or intermittent edema occurring at the site of the lesion;
- the painful joint becomes "stormy" and can be identified by this touch;
- the pain and stiffness of movements in the early hours of the morning are disturbing (4-5 in the morning).
Advanced arthritis can turn into osteoarthritis, and this will be a completely different story.
What is osteoarthritis?
According to the WHO, 70% of these diseases occur in people over 64 years. Osteoarthritis is called the disease of "pianists and athletes" because it is a category that is exposed to stress on your wrists, knees, ankles.
Arthrosis is a disease that provokes the destruction of articular tissues to the point of complete destruction. It develops due to a decrease in the amount of joint fluid and circulatory disorders. In the affected articular cartilage, nutrition is impaired, so it "dries" and "wears out".
The main function of the joint is to prevent the adjacent bones from touching each other. This allows the person to move freely and painlessly. Anhydrous articular cartilage is slowly destroyed, leading to the same bone contact. The more the disease progresses, the more a person feels pain and stiffness until disability.
The first signs of deformation have their own characteristics:
- joint stiffness after a long rest, retreat with movement;
- dull clicks, grinding and squeaking;
- painful sensations during walking and physical exertion.
With osteoarthritis, only the joints are affected without affecting other organs. In this case, there are no inflammatory processes.
Side-by-side comparison of diseases
To understand exactly how arthritis differs from osteoarthritis, it is worth drawing a parallel between the main differences by summarizing the above:
- Pain. It is accompanied by both the first and second disease, but its manifestation is of a different nature. Pain with osteoarthritis only appears during movement and power loads and is often mild. For this reason, a person is unaware of serious pathologies and does not start treatment on time. However, with each subsequent stage, the pain becomes more intense and begins to worry at rest.
When it comes to arthritis, it is not always dependent on physical activity and can only be relieved with painkillers. The disease is characterized by pain that occurs in the early morning.
- Crunch. Grinding and grinding is not always a concern. However, with osteoarthritis, a peculiar sound, which increases with each subsequent stage, becomes harder and drier. There is a signal that the destroyed cartilage layer and the beginning of a bone friction. Grinding is not common in arthritis.
- Deformation. With osteoarthritis, the joint is deformed and inflammatory processes can also occur. With arthritis, seals appear, edema, redness, and hyperthermia occur, but the deformity only occurs when one disease is transferred to another.
- Inaction. The joint affected by osteoarthritis hardens.
- Age limit. Arthritis can develop in children, but 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.
- Development of symptoms. Arthritis symptoms are already felt in the early stages of inflammation. The second disease develops slowly and asymptomatically, so it misleads the patient without causing discomfort.
How is arthritis treated?
The disease is acute in the first stage, so in most cases it is treated in time. If no damage is found to the internal organs at the time of diagnosis, recovery is smooth. The course of treatment of the disease is carried out with the help of anti-inflammatory and immune-boosting drugs, as well as antibiotics. If the condition works, it is repeated until it is fully restored.
Recovery occurs in a complex way, so the patient is prescribed special therapeutic exercises, diet and rejection of bad habits. Any power load during this period is excluded.
If arthritis is chronic, rheumatoid, it cannot be completely cured. Strong drugs are used for temporary improvement - cytostatics, corticosteroids. Today, medicine makes it possible to achieve a long-term remission of this disease by avoiding the abundance of hormonal agents. However, to prevent such a development, you should not self-medicate and postpone 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 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 load on the affected joint, the liver drugs.
A chronic form of the disease does not eventually recede, but modern medicine is able to manage the disease competently by preventing further deformation of the joint. In the neglected form, when it can not be restored, they resort to artificial endoprosthetics.
If a person suffers from any of the two conceivable diseases, treatment should be competent and timely. At the slightest suspicion of the disease, seek the advice of an experienced specialist, because the lost time loses health forever. See a specialist for help from an orthopedic traumatologist.