Many people do not always understand the difference between arthritis and osteoarthritis due to the similarity of the names.Both diseases are associated with the joints, but the causes, symptoms, diagnosis and therefore treatment are fundamentally different.It is very important to determine the nature of the disease at the initial stage to initiate appropriate treatment.
Arthritis, osteoarthritis and their effects on joints
To begin proper treatment of a joint, you must first determine what type of disease it is susceptible to.And to do this, you need to understand for yourself what the difference is between arthritis and arthrosis.
Both diseases affect the joints, but they have different symptoms and causes.
What is osteoarthritis
Osteoarthritis, sooner or later, affects around 10% of the population, appearing more frequently with age.Osteoarthritis is a deformation of the joints and a decrease in their mobility.Its correct name should be considered osteoarthritis.
The main symptoms are pain when moving and loss of mobility, the range of movement in the affected joint decreases and an unpleasant, dry and sharp clicking sound appears during movement.Deformation can also be seen in osteoarthritis.For example, it is very easy to notice a change in the shape of the knee joint.
Osteoarthritis can be detected at an early stage.The diagnosis is complicated only by the negligent attitude towards health on the part of the patients themselves.Pain in the initial phase only appears with exertion, which is why many do not attach importance to it, which worsens the disease and makes treatment difficult.
Arthritis and its symptoms
Although osteoarthritis is a disease of the joints only, arthritis is often infectious and affects the entire body.Such diseases are one of the manifestations of the general condition of the body.It is much more difficult to treat and also to diagnose.Joint pain is accompanied by swelling and inflammation;the pain does not go away, it only intensifies, much faster than with osteoarthritis.Infectious arthritis affects not only cartilaginous tissue, but also negatively affects the heart, kidneys and liver.Although arthritis is approximately 5 times less common than arthrosis, it is much more difficult to treat, it represents a great danger to the patient's life and its causes can be varied.
The main symptoms of arthritis are:
- high temperature;
- skin inflammation, psoriasis;
- general weakness of the body;
- eye discomfort;
- discharge from the genitals;
- chills, increased sweating.
The skin around the joints becomes especially hot and swollen.
How does arthritis differ from arthrosis by the nature of the disease?
To better understand the causes of such diseases, it is necessary to understand their nature and classify them.
All joint diseases can be divided into two groups – inflammatory processes and dystrophic processes.
To determine the nature of a disease whose symptoms are similar to others, it is important to diagnose and determine the cause of a particular process in the body.
The main problem of both diseases is the imbalance in the joints between the destruction and repair processes.The stronger the imbalance, the faster bone tissue is destroyed, which manifests itself at the cellular level in a lack of oxygen and nutrition for them and poor production of healthy components of bone tissue.
Most of the time, the process goes unnoticed and, when the number of dead cells exceeds normal, pain appears.Thus, the body tries to “complain” about excessive stress and asks for help.
Dystrophic diseases
Most often, these diseases have characteristic names with the same endings: arthrosis, osteochondrosis, ligaments, osteoarthrosis.Such diseases appear with age or with constant physical activity.Football players, for example, often suffer from osteoarthritis in the knee joint, even at a young age.Most athletes are susceptible to knee joint disease.
Joints experience painful symptoms due to the thinning of cartilaginous tissue, called degeneration.Such diseases develop due to the general aging of the body, a sedentary lifestyle and the infectious nature of diseases that can accompany the development of osteoarthritis, osteochondrosis and similar diseases only accelerate the process of degeneration.The body does not have time to replace dead cells, that is, to regenerate, and the reverse process occurs.The hardest thing to stop is the degeneration of the knee joint tissues, which is so common.
Inflammatory diseases
These illnesses also have similar endings and usually end in -it.Often infectious in nature, bacteria or viruses can cause inflammation of one or more joints, which will present the corresponding symptoms:
- high temperature;
- swelling;
- sweating
They can also be autoimmune or allergic-infectious in nature, when the body fights against its own cells.In this case, pain and swelling in the knee joint may indicate serious problems with the immune system.In case of pain in the knee or any joint, you should immediately consult a doctor for a complete diagnosis of the body.
Often the cause of joint pain can be salt deposits in the periarticular cavities and tissues.In this case, there is a possibility of metabolic disorders.
Osteoarthritis and arthritis - treatment
Since the causes of the diseases are completely different (in osteoarthritis, the joint wears out mechanically, and the arthritis is infectious), the treatment will be completely different.This is why it is so important to separate these two diseases.
Let's consider treatment using the example of the knee joint.In both cases, it is necessary to reduce the load as much as possible.There is no cure for osteoarthritis of the knee joint or any other joint, as the process is irreversible.However, regular use of chondroprotectors can slow the process, stimulate cartilage regeneration and reduce pain in the knee joint.
Infectious arthritis can be treated with antibiotics and medications that affect the immune system.In some cases, the treatment will have to be repeated, but the disease itself is completely curable.
If the diagnosis showed rheumatoid arthritis, it will have to be treated for a long time with small doses of cytostatics and corticosteroids.All this is used in combination with anti-inflammatory drugs.Modern treatment allows you to achieve long-term remission and reduce the use of hormonal drugs to a minimum.