People who first found joint diseases often ask: arthritis and osteoarthritis: what is the difference.These pathologies have similar names and symptoms, so they often get confused.With the auto -medication, this confusion can cause negative consequences, since what helps with osteoarthritis with arthritis can damage.
Both diseases are serious, lead to disability, so a specialist must perform the treatment of joint diseases.
What is the nature of these diseases?
The difference between osteoarthritis and arthritis is already clear by their names.The suffix "IT" in the name of the disease indicates the inflammatory nature of the disease and "oz", the presence of pathological changes in the tissues.
Consequently, arthritis is an inflammation of the joint tissue, which can be caused by different causes.And osteoarthritis are degenerative changes in joint cartilage, which develops after the injury or action of age -related factors.We will realize in more detail what arthritis and osteoarthritis are.
Arthosis - What is it?
The articulated surfaces of the bones are covered with smooth cartilage tissue and constantly lubricated with synovial fluid to slide the light.Arthrosis is characterized by pathological processes, which leads to the fact that the surface of the cartilage loses softness, is ulcerated and sophisticated.
Due to this, during the friction of the mating cartilage surfaces, they scratch each other, as a result, the degenerative processes are aggravated to the total destruction of the cartilage.The growths appear along the bone edges - osteophytes that fetter the mobility of the joint.
With the timely detection of osteoarthritis, the process of cartilage destruction can be slow down for decades, using modern methods of treatment and prevention.But, as a rule, in the end, osteoarthritis leads to the complete destruction of the cartilage and immobilization of the affected joint.
The only way to return to lost functionality is the operation to replace the joint with artificial endoprothesis.
Arthritis - What is it?
Arthritis is inflammation of the joints.It is known that the inflammatory process is nothing more than the struggle of immune blood cells (leukocytes) with strange formations in the body.Most of the time, immune cells hang against the infection that has fallen.
In the place of this fight, inflammation occurs, characterized by redness, an increase in local temperature, pain and swelling.Leukocytes who died during body protection are nothing more than pus, often formed in the inflammation process.
Arthritis can have a different nature.Sometimes it occurs when an infection enters the joint cavity.Such types of arthritis are good to treat antibiotics and often pass without consequences.
Other types of this disease are worse for treatment and generally lead to disability.In particular, it is rheumatoid arthritis, an autoimmune disease in which immune cells lose their reference points and begin to fight against the tissues of their own body.
Getric arthritis occurs in the elderly due to a violation of metabolism and deposits in the joints of salts.
Psoriatic arthritis, which is found in approximately 10% of patients with psoriasis, as well as in many other types of this dangerous disease.
Is there a relationship between these diseases?
Disassembly of how osteoarthritis differs from osteoarthritis, one cannot fail to mention that these diseases are often accompanied by each other.So, for example, with rheumatoid arthritis, joint tissues undergo degenerative changes characteristic of osteoarthritis.Over time, the joints affected by rheumatoid arthritis deform and lose their functions, as with osteoarthritis.
It can be said similar to gouty arthritis.Sales sharp crystals, which were deposited in the articular cartilage, on the one hand, cause their inflammation, and on the other, scratch cartilage surfaces, which causes their abrasion and gradual degeneration characteristic of osteoarthritis.
As you can see, chronic arthritis forms negatively affect the condition of articular cartilage and over time lead to the progression of the characteristic processes of osteoarthritis: deformation and loss of joint functions.
This rule works elsewhere.The course of osteoarthritis is rarely completed without concomitant arthritis.When joint cartilage surfaces, destroying due to degenerative processes, they rub with each other, microtraumas can be abandoned, cartilage pieces can be abandoned.This causes inflammatory processes, and we already know that the inflammation in the joints is arthritis.
Therefore, osteoarthritis occurs with periodic exacerbations, which are often accompanied by united arthritis.
Due to the fact that these two diseases are so interconnected, sometimes it is difficult to understand: arthritis and osteoarthritis, what is the difference?To decide, you must observe the root cause of the disease, in which the pathological process is launched.If the impulse of the disease has become degenerative changes in cartilage, then this is osteoarthritis, and if the cause in inflammations caused by infections, problems with hormonal history, immunity or metabolism, then this is arthritis.
What are the causes of these pathologies?
Arthrosis is a degenerative-divophical change in the cartilage that develops for reasons:
- Insufficient tissue nutrition;
- Traumatic nature
The lack of nutrition occurs, as a rule, due to changes related to age in the body.Therefore, osteoarthritis often appears in people over 50-60 years.At this age, tissue regeneration slows down, violations appear in metabolic processes, which in many leads to problems with joints.
Traumatic osteoarthritis can be developed at a younger age.Its cause is the congenital and acquired defects in the articular cartilage, which damages the surface of the mating cartilage, which causes its additional destruction.
The primordials of traumatic osteoarthritis can become:
- Congenital defects of the joint cartilage;
- Injuries received;
- Surgical operations in the joints;
- A great excess body weight.
Arthritis, unlike osteoarthritis, with the exception of gout, is found more frequently in young people.His reasons are:
- Genetic predisposition to autoimmune and systemic diseases;
- Infections;
- Hormonal disorders
What is the similarity and difference in symptoms?
Arthosis is characterized by a gradual and slow increase of symptoms.The initial stage of the disease can last for years, without showing.You can feel a crunch in the joints, which periodically occurs a pain to a burden above the usual.
Most of the time, the doctor is addressed when the disease has already reached stage II.Characteristic symptoms of osteoarthritis:
- Joint pain under load, decreases at rest;
- Click the Move the Board of the Problem;
- Morning stiffness, when, after awakening for the normal functioning of the joint, it is necessary to "develop it";
- Very often, the joints of the brushes, the stop, the spine, the knee and the hip are susceptible to osteoarthritis;less frequently: shoulder and ankle;
- The appearance of pain in rest, the night pain indicates an inflammation of attached arthritis due to a constant microtrauma of the cartilage;
- In the posterior stages, a progressive decrease in the amplitude of the movements is joined, to the complete immobilization of the joint, or, on the contrary, the appearance of "decomposition", antinatural mobility.
It is not an example of osteoarthritis, arthritis begins with pronounced symptoms characteristic of inflammation processes:
- Severe pain in the joint, did not even decrease at rest, sensation pulsation, contraction;
- Night pains that do not allow falling asleep;
- Redness, swelling in the defeat area;
- High temperature at the site of inflammation, often an increase in temperature of the entire body;
- Small joints are more susceptible to arthritis: dolls, fingers, sometimes ankle, knees;
- Several joints (polyartitis) are often simultaneously affected;
- Often, arthritis becomes a complication of diseases caused by bacterial and viral infections.
The rest of the symptoms of arthritis vary according to their species, of which there are many.Many types of arthritis are serious diseases that affect other body systems in addition to joints.
Diagnosis
For the doctor, the difference between arthritis and osteoarthritis is obvious by the clinical image.Often, to diagnose osteoarthritis and establish its stage, it is enough to make an X Ray of the problematic joint in two projections.The image will show the value of the joint gap, the presence or absence of bone growth: osteophytes, the degree of bone deformation.
The diagnosis of arthritis requires more studies, because for successful treatment it is necessary to establish a type of pathology: if a systemic disease is a system, if inflammation is caused by infection or exacerbation of osteoarthritis.
To establish a precise diagnosis, modern diagnostic methods such as ultrasound, TC, MRI, arthroscopy, joint puncture for the study of synovial fluid can be used.Of great importance in the diagnosis of arthritis is a blood test for the reúmeno.
Similarity and difference in therapy
The treatment of arthritis and osteoarthritis has more differences than similarities.Almost, the only thing that unites them is the use of non -steroid anti -inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) to eliminate pain and inflammation.Depending on the diagnosis and condition of the patient, these medications can be used for the local application, orally or in the form of injections, including joint cavity.
With the inefficiency of NSAID treatment, hormonal medications are used: corticosteroids that have strong side effects, so they are prescribed only in extreme cases.
Otherwise, arthritis and osteoarthritis therapy varies.Each type of arthritis has its own treatment regime that takes into account the nature of the disease.In the therapy of each type, in addition to NSAIDs, antibiotics, hormonal, immunobiological drugs and many other specific medications, including physiotherapeutics, can be used.
The main objective of the treatment of arthritis is to relieve inflammation, concomitant disease therapy and guarantee a long period of remission.In cases of severe damage to the joints, surgical operations are indicated.
In the treatment of osteoarthritis, the main task is to slow down the pathological processes of destruction of the joint cartilage.For this, condoprotectors are actively used, medications that contribute to the regeneration of the joint cartilage, as well as to vitamins and minerals.In the referral stage, patients show physiotherapeutic procedures, physiotherapy exercises.
Of great importance is attributed to prevention measures:
- Standardization of weight;
- Adequate complete nutrition;
- Rejection of bad habits;
- Refuse to overload the painful joints;
- Feasible motor activity.
When reaching the severe stages of osteoarthritis due to the immobility of joint or vice -editor mobility, it can be lost due to the functionality of the limb.In such cases, the patient will help return to a complete life operation to replace the damaged joint with an endoprosthesis.
Unfortunately, there are no therapeutic agents that can restore joints destroyed by osteoarthritis and arthritis.It is only possible to stretch this pathological process as much as possible in time, and after the joint failure, it resorts to the surgical intervention.Therefore, it is very important not to delay the visit to the doctor, pointing out the first signs of these diseases.
As you can see, the difference between arthritis and osteoarthritis determines the differences in its treatment.Arthritis therapy focuses on eliminating the inflammatory process and the treatment of concomitant diseases, and in the treatment of osteoarthritis, the relief of pain and the prevention of greater destruction of the joints are first in the treatment of osteoarthritis.
In this context, it is clear how to relate to heating the joints in these diseases.The heating of the problem area helps activate blood circulation in nearby tissues.
With processes of degenerative distribution in cartilage tissue, blood flow improves the joint of oxygen and nutrients, accelerates metabolic processes.This helps improve the regeneration of articular tissue.Then, with osteoarthritis, the warming of the joints is useful.
Heating pads and warming compresses for arthritis have a completely different effect.In the area of the inflammatory process, the temperature already increases.Heating only exacerbates the inflammatory process and promotes the spread of infection outside the joint.Therefore, with arthritis, the heating of the painful joints with heating pads, compresses and bathrooms is strictly prohibited.
Conclusion
Many people are interested in: what is worse than arthritis or osteoarthritis.This question may seem strange, because it is impossible to choose an easier disease.Both diseases are associated with severe pain, restrictions on motor activity.Arthrosis and many types of arthritis lead to disability.
But if only the joints are affected with osteoarthritis, then, for example, with rheumatoid arthritis, not only the joints suffer, but, practically, all the systems of the cardiovascular, nervous, respiratory, kidneys, leather, hematopoyesis, vision organs.
With any of these diseases, it is important to recognize them in the initial stages and begin treatment as soon as possible to stop the progression of these pathologies, while the damage caused by the joints is not too large.