What is the difference between arthritis and arthrosis of the joints?

The problem of joint diseases is always relevant. After forty years, about a third of all people begin to feel pain when moving, and after fifty, more than half of the population begins to feel pain. The gradual destruction of cartilage, ligaments, bones and soft tissue around the joints is commonly referred to by doctors as "osteoarthritis. "

How can this condition be prevented? And what treatments help relieve pain when the disease is already advanced? To answer these questions, you must first understand the difference between arthritis and osteoarthritis - the most common joint diseases.

What is Arthritis?

What makes the main difference between arthritis and arthrosis can be seen from the names: Acute, sudden diseases end with "-itis"; with "-von" - diseases with a slow course, chronic processes.

Arthritis is an inflammatory damage to the joints that occurs due to malfunction of the immune system due to infection (e. g. sore throat or otitis media), trauma, metabolic disorders, hypothermia, stress or other reasons (even autoimmune diseases).

The first signs look like this:

• stabbing pain in one or more joints (often not only when moving), especially early in the morning;
• Enlargement, swelling, edema, redness of the painful joint;
• a noticeable increase in temperature at the site of inflammation.

Inflammatory processes caused by arthritis can affect the entire body. In this case, the patient feels a high fever, chills, loss of strength, and inflammation of other organs may occur (eyes, genitourinary system, even heart, lungs, liver and kidneys).

Arthritis has several dozen forms. The most common of these are:

• rheumatism– Inflammation of the connective tissue of large and medium-sized joints that occurs after infections;
• Rheumatoid arthritis– a slow autoimmune process that symmetrically affects several joints at the same time; causes the appearance of "nodules", pain and loss of mobility; can cause inflammation of many organs;
• gout– caused by the accumulation of uric acid in the blood and salts in the joints; It usually starts with stabbing pain in the big toe joint.
• reactive arthritis– occurs against the background of damage to the body caused by infections (chlamydia, streptococci, etc. );
• infectious arthritis– begins due to a bacterial infection of the joint itself.

What is osteoarthritis?

In contrast to arthritis, osteoarthritis is not associated with inflammatory processes. It leads to poor blood circulation in the joint, which causes the cartilage parts to start drying out.

Osteoarthritis is a disease that deforms and destroys joint tissue. This causes the connecting layers to dry out, become thinner, and become "worn out. " The bones begin to touch each other, causing pain and making it difficult for a person to move.

Signs of joint osteoarthritis are:

• After a long period of immobility (e. g. a night's rest), the joint "freezes" but then develops rapidly when activity is resumed;
• the operation of the joint is accompanied by strange sounds (clicking, crunching, crunching);
• physical activity causes pain.

What are the differences between arthritis and osteoarthritis?

Both diseases affect the joints. But they have different causes, progress differently and can lead to very different consequences. Only a correct diagnosis, based on the difference between arthritis and arthrosis, can prevent irreparable damage to the body.

It takes time for the degeneration of the cartilage tissue to develop sufficiently and for bone deformation to occur. Therefore, chronic osteoarthritis usually manifests itself in old age (after 60 years, less often after 50). The most susceptible to changes are the joints that constantly work under load: the fingers of musicians, the knees of athletes and athletes, the ankles of people who walk a lot or work while standing, etc.

In contrast, arthritis can occur as early as a child. The inflammatory process leads to pathology of the synovial membrane saturated with blood vessels and synovial fluid (while with arthrosis it is simply produced in insufficient quantities). Unfortunately, almost one in five cases of disability worldwide is caused by various forms and complications of arthritis.

Inflammation can affect not only joints, but also other tissues with active blood circulation: blood vessels and heart, lungs, abdominal organs, eyes, urinary system, etc. On the other hand, arthrosis is limited by local mechanical bone damage and the formation of osteophytes in areas of joint deformation. Although the disease exists in late stages and advanced forms, it can also be disabling and completely immobilize a person's limbs.

How do arthritis and arthrosis manifest themselves?

Let's compare the external appearances to clearly explain the difference between the symptoms of arthritis and arthrosis.

1. pain. In the early stages of osteoarthritis (which lasts for years), joint pain occurs during physical activity and disappears after rest. It is rarely sharp and strong. Even if the disease develops and pain can occur even with small movements and even at rest, it is usually enough to give the body a comfortable position for the pain to subside. With arthritis, the patient is plagued by severe pain attacks that can only be relieved with special medications. A characteristic symptom is pain at rest, especially in the early morning.
2. Clicking, crunching, crunching of the joints. In joints affected by osteoarthritis, the cartilage layers are destroyed. They no longer protect the bone heads from contact with each other. This is why the bones touch and rub each other when moving, creating rough, dry sounds. The further the disease progresses, the stronger and louder the joints click. Arthritis is not usually accompanied by such symptoms.
3. Deformation of the joint and surrounding tissues. When arthrosis develops over time, the shape of the bones changes: their heads begin to crumble and wear out, osteophytes may appear. Sometimes swelling and aching pain occur in the acute stage, but these symptoms are not permanent. But a joint affected by arthritis becomes inflamed and swollen. Swelling and compaction occur. The skin becomes red and hot.
4. Limited mobility. Osteoarthritis causes stiffness in a specific joint that disappears with movement. In deeper stages, stiffness increases, flexion amplitude decreases, ultimately leading to immobility. With arthritis, you may feel stiff throughout your body and attempts to move cause severe pain.
5. Changes in blood composition. Osteoarthritis is not an inflammatory disease and is therefore not taken into account in the analysis. Arthritis leads to a significant increase in erythrocyte sedimentation rate, which indicates an active infectious and inflammatory process.

Therefore, osteoarthritis symptoms in the early stages can rarely lead to severe anxiety and discomfort. This leads to a careless attitude and late diagnosis of the disease, which complicates further treatment.

Causes of osteoarthritis

There are several factors that increase the risk of pathological changes in the joints and surrounding tissues: constant overload, imbalance of the immune and hormonal systems, poor physical condition. Therefore, to prevent disease, you must regularly follow the following recommendations:

1. Maintain moderate physical activity through simple exercises, walking, swimming, etc. This will help you get rid of excess weight, improve blood circulation, strengthen your muscles - and thus relieve pressure on your joints.
2. Try to eat healthy foods. Fatty foods, red meat and alcohol can be harmful. On the contrary, seafood, fruits and vegetables, as well as dishes containing cartilage and gelatin are beneficial for the body. It is important to drink plenty of clean water (2-3 liters per day).
3. Choose appropriate clothing and shoes: comfortable heels, warm enough without restricting freedom of movement.
4. If possible, avoid stress, disturbances and other "shocks" to the body.

However, if a person has already been diagnosed with arthritis or arthrosis, you should consult a doctor before carrying out even such simple measures. In some cases, even conventional prevention can be harmful and worsen the condition.

But how are arthritis and arthrosis treated? What is the difference? The causes of these pathologies are different: immune processes, fighting infection in the first case, cartilage malnutrition in the second. Therefore, dealing with them will be different. To choose the right course of action, you must first make an accurate diagnosis.

To do this, it is best to undergo an X-ray and MRI scan in combination with laboratory tests of blood and urine. After examining the results, the doctor will prescribe appropriate recommendations.

Arthritis treatment

If the acute form of the disease is caused by an infection, it can be cured with antibiotics. However, in this case, it is important to select the drug accurately: it is necessary to neutralize pathogenic bacteria before the pathology of the joint becomes irreversible. The course is supplemented with anti-inflammatory and immune-boosting medications.

For chronic arthritis (e. g. rheumatoid arthritis), treatment must be carried out regularly throughout life. Corticosteroids, cytostatics and modern biological products are most commonly used. These are very effective medications. To ensure that they do not cause harm to the body, correctly calculating the dosage, frequency and duration of use is crucial.

If the pain is severe, your doctor may also prescribe treatment with painkillers. And accompanying measures to support are definitely recommended: diet, physiotherapy and physiotherapy. If the inflammation has spread to other organs, the patient must be referred for further specialist examinations.

Treatment of osteoarthritis

Modern methods make it possible to almost completely eliminate the symptoms of the disease if the diagnosis was made at an early stage and the patient's age is under forty years. For this purpose, in addition to standard monitoring of joint loads and a course of medications (they initiate regeneration, restore nutrition and hydration to the cartilage), the patient may be prescribed mud wraps, electrophoresis and acoustic therapy (which affects the affected tissues with low-frequency sounds).

In older people or in advanced forms, osteoarthritis cannot be completely cured, but it is possible to achieve a significant improvement in the condition and slow down the destructive processes in the joint. This requires strict adherence to the doctor's recommendations: regular use of medications (for example, chondroprotectors), maintaining a healthy lifestyle, timely implementation of prescribed procedures, monitoring joint loads.

In osteoarthritis, the main focus is on restoring the cartilage layer. With simultaneous symptoms of inflammatory processes, antibiotics or corticosteroids can be prescribed to relieve the acute stage and move on to the main treatment regimen. In some severe cases, surgery and even implantation of an artificial joint may be necessary.