According to surveys, 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, painful joint damage occurs. However, not recognizing the main differences of this defeat is a real trap, leading to irreparable complications. The nature of these diseases is different, which means that treatment and prevention will differ from each other. Let’s examine each of them in as much detail as possible and find all the similarities and differences.
What is arthritis?
Before dealing with the causes and symptoms of the disease, it is worth mentioning the numbers. Arthritis is a disease of more than 200 types that manifests itself in different ways. Unlike osteoarthritis, which speaks for itself with the advent of old age, arthritis appears at the age of 25-40 years. According to the WHO, more than 19% of disability cases were the result of its complications.
Arthritis is a common inflammatory disease resulting from weak 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 starts with pain in the joints, but in its advanced form it affects the heart, liver, kidneys, eyes, etc. Often the disease persists in a vague asymptomatic form, but its first manifestations are standard:
- sharp pains that arise both in motion and in a state of complete rest;
- persistent or periodic edema that occurs at the site of the lesion;
- the painful joint is "stormy", and this can be determined by touch;
- pain and stiffness of movements bother in the early hours of the morning (4-5 in the morning).
Advanced arthritis can develop into osteoarthritis, and that will be a whole other story.
What is osteoarthritis?
According to WHO observations, 70% of cases of this disease occur in people over 64 years old. Osteoarthritis is called a disease of "pianists and athletes" because it is this category that is subject to stress on the joints, knees, feet.
Osteoarthritis is a disease that provokes the deformation of articular tissue until complete destruction. It develops due to a decrease in the amount of joint fluid and circulatory disorders. In the cartilage of the affected article, nutrition is disturbed, due to which it is "dried" and "consumed".
The main task of an articulation is to keep the bones close together so that they do not touch each other. This allows a person to move freely and painlessly. Dehydrated articular cartilage is destroyed slowly but surely, which leads to the same bone contacts. The more the disease progresses, the more the person experiences pain and stiffness of movements, up to disability.
The first symptoms of deformity have their own characteristics:
- stiffness of the joints after a long rest, pulling with movement;
- dull clicks, grinding and shredding;
- painful sensations during 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 understand exactly how arthritis differs from osteoarthritis, it is worthwhile to draw a parallel between the main changes, summarizing the above:
- Pain It accompanies both the first and the second disease, but its manifestation is of a different nature. With osteoarthritis, pain occurs exclusively during movements and force 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 stronger and begins to bother 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 in the early hours of the morning.
- Crunch. Pruning and grinding is not always a concern. However, with osteoarthritis, it has a distinct sound, thicker and drier, increasing with each subsequent stage. It signals the destroyed cartilage layer and the start 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 appear, edema, redness and hyperthermia appear, but deformity occurs only if one disease has progressed to 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. Arthrosis is considered a disease of "old age" and is the result of natural aging. At risk are also people whose lives are associated with stress in the joints.
- Development of symptoms. The symptoms of arthritis make themselves felt already in the initial stage of inflammation. The second disease develops slowly and asymptomatically, which is why it misleads the patient, without giving cause for concern.
How is arthritis treated?
The disease makes itself felt already acute in the first stage, so in most cases it is treated in a timely manner. If no lesions of the internal organs are detected during the diagnosis, recovery goes normally. The course of treatment of the disease is carried out with the help of anti-inflammatory and immuno-strengthening drugs, as well as antibiotics. If the situation is developing, it is repeated until complete recovery.
Recovery is done in a complex way, therefore the patient is prescribed special therapeutic exercises, diet and rejection of bad habits. During this period, any power load is excluded.
If arthritis is chronic, rheumatoid, it can not be completely cured. For temporary improvement, powerful drugs are used - cytostatics, corticosteroids. Today, medicine makes it possible to achieve long-term remission in this disease, avoiding an abundance of hormonal agents. However, 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 osteoarthritis treatment depends on the stage of the disease: the earlier 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 assigned to adjust the loads on the affected node, medications on the liver.
The disease, which has acquired a chronic form, is not eventually withdrawn, however, modern medicine is able to control the disease with disease, preventing the joint from deforming further. In a neglected form, when it cannot be reversed, they use artificial endoprosthetics.
Whichever of a person's two diseases is considered, treatment must be competent and timely. At the slightest suspicion of a disease, seek advice from an experienced specialist, because lost time permanently loses health. For help from a qualified orthopedic traumatologist, contact the clinic.