What is the difference between arthritis arthritis, you should know not only doctors.Often engaged in self-medication, people are exposed to a great risk, taking an illness for another.Such an error can lead to serious complications, therefore in the article, we carefully analyze differences in symptoms, characteristics of treatment and prevention of pathologies.Knowing the symptoms will help take the necessary measures in a timely manner.With arthritis or osteoarthritis, all our mobile compounds on the site of bone joint, cartilage, that is to say the skeleton joints.Often, diseases merge with each other due to consonant names, but the difference between them is not only in the symptoms, but in the causes of occurrence, the characteristics of the course, the specifics of the treatment.
What is the difference between arthritis and osteoarthritis: a general concept
In names, there is a common root of "Artro", translated from the Greek means a joint subject to basic disorders.However, osteoarthritis has no inflammatory nature, the basis is degenerative processes, that is to say wear, and the correct designation of the disease is osteoarthrosis, because bone formations are subject to changes.
Osteoarthritis is a chronic disease in which the "erasure" of joint surfaces and capsules, because of which deformation begins begins.In advanced cases - Complete immobilization of the member.The changes affect the entire complex - bone surfaces, ligaments, meniscus, cartilage, synovial shell, all the structures located nearby.
Pathologies are subject to the elderly.In addition, the more the prevalence of the disease increases.In rare cases, young people can affect young people with hereditary signs or after an injury.According to statistics, around 10% of the population is suffering and the main threshold is observed in people over 65 (85% of all patients).
Arthritis, on the contrary, is an acute disease, based on inflammation.Often, the disease is only a symptom of the underlying disease (rheumatism), but can proceed as a violation only.The neglected steps are transferred to a chronic flow.Unlike osteoarthritis, young people most often suffer inflammatory damage.He can manifest himself after 40 years if a person has undergone a cold or a serious infection.The prevalence among the population of the globe is only 2%.
Reasons
Due to various etiologies, various causes and factors lead to the occurrence of diseases.In addition, osteoarthritis often occurs in the context of purulent arthritis or rheumatism.
The main factors of arthritis.
- Interventions of trauma and surgery.
- Congenital dysplasia (underdevelopment) of the joints.
- Dostrophic depth process.
- Excess weight.
- Age of the elderly.
- Heredity.
- Klimax.
With this disease, the joints suffer exclusively, while with arthritis, there is a general inflammatory process.Often, it is accompanied by damage to the kidneys, the heart and the liver.
Several types of diseases are distinguished:
- rheumatoid;
- reagent;
- infectious;
- drop.
Very often, arthritis arises in the context of the transferred flu, frequent sore sore.Development of tuberculosis, gonorrhea, dysentery, psoriasis is not excluded.
Arthritis rarely affects unique joints, generally an entire group is subject to inflammation, which depends on etiology - with rheumatism, small compounds of the hands and feet suffer, with psoriasis - phalanges of the fingers.
Symptoms
Despite similar signs - pain, restriction of movement, deformation, there are a number of symptoms which help to distinguish the name from the disease.
- Pain is a sign of main osteoarthritis, but does not occur immediately.Initially, it is a crunch and a cracking of the joints, then the pain is attached, which increases as they progress.They generally appear with physical effort, a change of time, at night (start of the pain - immediately after waking up and tries to get out of bed).Arthritis is characterized by constant painful pain, which can intensify the night, as well as in the morning.Often, with inflammation, there is a decrease in unpleasant symptoms during active movements.
- Crystals are a specific sign of osteoarthritis.He has a special sound - dry and rough, is often accompanied by acute pain.
- Deformation - With degenerative changes, the joints change in the subsequent stages, when the adjacent bone surfaces are included in the process.With inflammation, the deformation begins in the early stages, while they are increasing in size due to swelling.
- Redness, an increase in local temperature - is characteristic only for arthritis, because degenerative diseases take place according to the type of aseptic necrosis (without infectious).
- Restriction in motion - osteoarthritis often "blocks" the joint when, during movement, a net crunch is distributed, followed by acute pain and a joint block.Arthritis tends to morning stiffness, not only in joints, but throughout the body.
- General discomfort - Inflammation, always proceeds to a change in the state of the whole body, there is an increase in body temperature, a weakness.
Almost all joints can affect the location of diseases, however, knee and hip damage are more characteristic of degenerative processes.Arthritis tends to involve small joints of the arms and legs in inflammation, often symmetrically.
Important: Do not confuse the cracking of healthy joints with arthosis.In the first case, it is absolutely painless and is associated with the characteristics of the ligament system (excessive mobility, low ligaments).Then, as for osteoarthritis, the crunch is accompanied by intense pain and a moving restriction.
Diagnosis
An important diagnostic criterion is a general blood test.The inflammation of the joints always gives an increase in ESR (more than 25 mm / h), and in the case of infectious arthritis, leukocytes are still.For osteoarthritis, blood change is not characteristic.
By the way, there is a special protein, belongs to the class of immunoglobulins, reacts to damage by any factor of its own cells - a rheumatoid factor which allows you to determine the presence of rheumatoid arthritis.The C-reactive protein, which is a sign of inflammation, is also determined.Gout is characterized by an increase in uric acid in blood, urine.
For both diseases, first of all, it is necessary to pass not only a blood test, always an X-ray image of the joint.With osteoarthritis, a narrowing of the gap between joints, osteophytes (bone growth), deformations and osteoporosis occur.It is possible to name CT, MRI to clarify changes in soft tissues and bone structures.
Arthrosis is also characterized by a narrowing of the gap and periarticular osteoporosis, however, they occur in the early stages (then, as with degeneration, such changes start only 3 and 4 stages).If the process has an infectious character, sequestrates often form - areas of necrosis surrounded by healthy fabric.In a chronic course, dislocations are observed, the subluxation of hinge structures.
It is advisable to lead an ultrasound to determine the presence of a liquid or a pus in the joint bag (the most characteristic of arthritis), as well as diagnostic punctuation - allows you to identify the pathogen and the nature of effusion.
Make sure you prescribe general examinations - ECG, urine analysis, blood biochemistry, to find out more about their possible inclusion in inflammation.
Treatment
Important: The most dangerous for both diseases is self-medication.Without precise diagnosis, this approach to his health aggravates the situation, leading to significant destruction of joints, damage to the heart and kidneys.
How arthritis differs from osteoarthritis in therapy.The basis of the first is the cessation of destruction, the degeneration of the cartilage fabric and in the treatment of arthritis, the main role is devoted to the elimination of inflammation and blocking the infectious process.
The approach to eliminate the manifestations of pathologies should include not only drugs, but also a change in lifestyle - healthy nutrition, weight loss, physical activity control.
Pharmacotherapy includes non-steroidal anti-inflammatory (necessary for both diseases), muscle relaxants and chondroprotectors (more often with osteoarthritis).
The treatment of arthritis often requires the introduction of glucocorticosteroids in the intersection space, the use of antibiotic therapy and the function of plasma (blood purification) to eliminate self -acumresia (the reaction of the body to its cells, as a foreign agent).In serious cases, the introduction of stem cells is carried out - it relieves inflammation, reduces sensitivity to infection, improves metabolism and tissue nutrition.
Important: with arthritis, compresses and ointments of warming cannot be applied, they will only increase the spread of infection and inflammation, in particular with the purulent course of the disease.
All physiotherapy is only prescribed after the elimination of acute pain and inflammation.
Despite all the innovations and rapid development of medicine, osteoarthritis is an incurable disease.It is simply not possible to repair the degenerative changes that started.Arthritis succumbs well to therapy, especially when looking for a doctor.
Conclusion in the table
| Differences |
Arthritis |
Osteoarthritis |
| Age | Unlimited | Mainly after 45 |
| The development of pathology | Suddenly | Gradually |
| Reasons | Infectious | Degenerative (age, menopause, injuries, genetics) |
| To flow | Acute, with moments of remission | Chronicle, with periods of exacerbations |
| Defeat | Small to large.Symmetry is characteristic. Ligaments, meniscus suffering from serious inflammation, swelling are involved. The internal organs suffer. |
More often one single.The risk of thumb phalanx.It spreads to cartilage, meniscus, ligaments, but without edema. |
| Deformation | External increase due to swelling. | In the late stages, the formation of necrotic fragments, subsequently destroyed |
| Signs | In the acute period - discomfort with temperature, a bright crunch of pain and locking, a hot swollen surface, a difficulty pronounced in the movements. | It's a dull pain.Heaviness, stiffness after loading pensions. |
| Diagnosis | General blood test, urine.Biochemical - Blood. X-ray testimony is a clear change in structures at the start of the disease. |
Minor changes in the blood.X -Ray shows pathology in the last stages. |
| Treatment | Anti-inflammatory, analgesic.He is hardened from a timely manipulation. | Anesthetics, ointments, compresses, physiotherapy, exercise treatment, chondroprotectors. With exacerbation - anti -inflammatory. |
Which is worse than arthritis or osteoarthritis cannot be said to be certainly, but inflammation is well blocked by drugs, which cannot be said on degenerative processes.Often, both diseases should be treated with your whole life, with the possibility of reaching long -term remission.Osteoarthritis often needs an operational correction to return the function of the joint and eliminate the restriction of the movements.
Arthritis can be accompanied by the development of cardiac malformations (rheumatoid damage to valves) and diseases of other organs and systems, because the inflammation of the joints is only the "tip of the iceberg".Successful treatment begins precisely with the definition of etiology.
It is important to prevent late stages from the destruction of bone tissue and chronic inflammatory process.The appropriate appeal to a specialist will help to learn with precision his own diagnosis, as well as to obtain the assistance necessary in treatment and rehabilitation.You now know what are the differences between osteoarthritis and arthritis.