The names of the diseases sound as if they affect the same organ system, ie the musculoskeletal system. What is the difference between arthritis and osteoarthritis and what are their similarities?
It is certainly known that the disease affects the musculoskeletal system, especially the joints, but the etiology of the disease is different.
Thus, arthritis occurs due to any infection: local or general, and arthrosis are degenerative processes that occur in the articular cartilage, due to the aging of the human body.
However, any person, no matter how old they are, can get arthritis and osteoarthritis.
Among other things, arthrosis can be related to dystrophic processes, while arthritis can be a side effect of other endogenous and exogenous diseases.
Among the first are osteoarthritis and arthrosis that deform the joints, and arthritis is rheumatoid and rheumatic, specific infectious and post-traumatic, as well as arthritis that can accompany concomitant diseases of the blood, respiratory system, digestion and others.
Basics
- Osteoarthritisis a chronic pathology of degenerative-dystrophic nature. The onset of the disease is not associated with an inflammatory component. The pathological process is based on the loss of the ability of articular cartilage cells to regenerate and regenerate. Over time, painful abnormalities cover nearby anatomical structures: ligaments, bursa, synovium, muscle and bone tissue. Middle-aged and elderly people are most susceptible to osteoarthritis. According to the results of clinical studies, at the age of 45 - 65, 30% - 40% of the population undergoes degenerative changes in the articular elements, and after 65 years the number of cases increases to 70% - 85%.
- Arthritisaffects younger segments of the population. Some types of disease are found in every thousandth child. The overall prevalence of arthritis is high among people of all ages. Unlike osteoarthritis, the disease is inflammatory. Inflammation develops in the synovial membrane of the joint cavity. As the pathology develops, it spreads to the cartilage and ligament apparatus, transforming into arthrosis.
You can't say which is worse: arthritis or osteoarthritis. Pathologies are interrelated. The articular elements, which undergo degenerative-dystrophic changes, respond to them with the development of an inflammatory process. The same situation can happen just the opposite. The sites of pathological abnormalities after arthritis are a favorable environment for osteoarthritis.
Mechanism of pathology
The difference between diseases is noticed from the beginning - the mechanisms of their occurrence.
The main role in the development of osteoarthritis is played by:
- age changes;
- menopause;
- violation of metabolic processes;
- heavy physical activity;
- highly traumatic surgical interventions;
- overweight;
- frequent joint microtrauma;
- increased uric acid levels;
- lack of blood supply;
- toxic intoxication of the body;
- micronutrient deficiency.
Factors that cause the development of arthrosis are early pathologies: acetabulum protrusion, osteochondropathy of the femoral head, endocrine diseases, hemophilia, diseases that have caused increased instability of the joints, weakness of the ligament apparatus. In youth, degenerative changes develop against the background of congenital inferiority of the hip joint and traumatic lesions: subluxation and dislocation of the femoral head, fractures of the neck and pelvis of the femur.
The starting point in the development of arthritis are:
- transmitted extra-articular infections;
- autoimmune reactions of the body;
- inherited the readiness of the gene encoding data from the cell surface for deviations;
- spread of the infectious agent through the lymphatic and bloodstream from the primary focus;
- connective tissue inflammation;
- diseases of the nervous system;
- hypothermia.
Infection of synovial fluid has a direct path - open injuries that penetrate the joint. The mechanism of arthritis is equipped with a complex and diverse arsenal. The reason lies in the ability of the joints to respond quickly to any inflammation.
Difference in accompanying symptoms
Thus, in arthritis, pain most often occurs during physical exertion, and pain can also occur at night when a person is in the same position for a long time.
In osteoarthritis, the pain occurs locally in one place, namely where the inflammatory process takes place, but at rest the pain disappears.
The nature of pain is also different. For example, patients who develop arthritis suffer from acute, severe, and twitching pain, and dull and aching pain accompanies osteoarthritis.
The blood count is also great. In the first case, there is an increase in the erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) and an increase in the levels of C-reactive protein, as well as a high level of leukocytes and seromucoids. In the second case there are no such deviations.
The signs that accompany these diseases will help to understand the difference between osteoarthritis and arthritis.
In osteoarthritis, the knee and hip joints are mostly affected by abnormal deviations, sometimes the process is localized in the shoulder area. Pathology developed gradually. The first short-term pains do not make it possible to determine the exact location of the lesion.
Over time, the clinical picture is supplemented by the following signs:
- a kind of crunchy sound appears when moving;
- meteorological dependence was recorded;
- the intensity of the pain syndrome increases in the background of increased loads, at rest the pain passes;
- range of motion gradually decreases;
- there are thickenings along the edge of the joint space;
- increasing the volume, the processes compress the nerve endings, causing severe constant pain; The
- joint is exposed to instability.
Pathological abnormalities in arthritis can affect any joint of the musculoskeletal system. The most endangered are the small elements of the movable joints of the legs, hands, lower legs and elbows. Arthritis in rheumatoid form is characterized by symmetry of focal lesions.
The first symptomatology, as in osteoarthritis, appears unexpectedly. The pathology clinic begins with general weakness. Pathological abnormalities grow rapidly, affecting the mobility and functional abilities of the affected joint. But if osteoarthritis is characterized by worsening pain during movement, then in the case of arthritis, the more you move, the less pain there is. The intensity of painful sensations increases at night. In the morning, the patient has difficulty overcoming joint stiffness. Palpation determines the pain on the entire surface of the joint.
The condition is deteriorating:
- local hyperemia;
- formation of subcutaneous nodules;
- swollen lymph nodes;
- peripheral nerve damage.
Pathology in the active phase is accompanied by a pronounced general complex of symptoms: increase in temperature indicators, chills, fever and intoxication syndrome. In case of complications, other elements of the biological system are involved in the pathological condition: organs of sight, respiration, digestion, cardiovascular, urinary and nervous systems.
Osteoarthritis, in addition to the complete destruction of cartilage, causes disorders in the biomechanics of the musculoskeletal system.
Differential research methods
A detailed study of the current clinical picture allows us to understand how to distinguish arthritis from arthrosis with the greatest accuracy.
Differential characteristics were identified based on the results of the following studies:
- Complete blood count.In osteoarthritis, in most cases, the deposition rate and erythrocyte response in the blood remain normal. Arthritis is characterized by a significant increase in indicators, which confirms the presence of an inflammatory process in the body. The analysis does not give a clear definition of the disease, but it enables the distinction of degenerative-dystrophic changes from inflammation.
- Biochemical analysis of blood sampling. In arthritis, the study confirms the presence of inflammatory markers in the biomaterial: C-reactive protein, seromucoid. It is possible to detect rheumatoid factor - antibodies to immunoglobulin that the body produces incorrectly. The biochemical parameters of osteoarthritis remain normal.
- X-ray examination.No significant changes were detected in the initial stage of arthritis development. In arthrosis, an uneven narrowing of the joint space, the formation of osteophytes (growths on the surface of bone tissue) is noted.
- MRI.The most reliable differential diagnosis of arthritis and arthrosis in the early stages. The technique enables the detection of changes in the structural structure of cartilage, compaction of the synovial membrane, joint effusion into the cavity, newly formed cysts, self-growth of bone tissue.
Characteristics of therapy
Physicians of different qualifications are involved in the treatment of pathologies. In case of arthrosis, the patient is referred to an orthopedist-traumatologist. In the case of arthritis, the exact cause of the pathological changes is initially determined. Depending on the circumstances discovered, a specialist is chosen.
As a result, both diseases affect the condition of the supporting apparatus, then their methods of treatment are identical. An important condition for recovery is a reduction in total body weight, and thus a reduction in the load on the organs affected by the disease. In both cases, if medications and physiotherapy courses do not bring positive results, a joint replacement is used.
Specific therapy, corrective gymnastics, drug treatment and physiotherapy are also used. With the most severe complications, arthroplasty is used.In addition to identical methods, there is a certain difference in the treatment of pathologies.
For arthritis, treatment begins with immediate and vigorous therapy. Anti-inflammatory and antibacterial drugs are prescribed. Preference is given to drugs with the least pronounced side effects. If the result does not live up to expectations, the drugs are successively replaced.
The complex course of medication includes:
- antihistamine intraarticular injections; corticosteroids; cytostatics; sulfonamides;
- products based on gold salts.
The prognosis is generally good with adequate and timely treatment of arthritis.
Osteoarthritis requires long-term and thorough treatment. The main task of therapeutic measures in the treatment of arthrosis is the restoration of the cartilaginous tissue of the joint. Pharmaceutical products with this ability include chondroprotectors. Chondroitin and glucosamine are the most effective.
Damaged blood microcirculation is removed with the help of a vasodilator. To get rid of spastic pain, relax muscle tone, muscle relaxants are prescribed. Topical application of ointments and warming creams is shown, which is strictly forbidden in the case of arthritis.
In parallel, agents that stimulate metabolic processes are used, the body is nourished with vitamins and microelements. Not the last place in the therapy of arthrosis is occupied by specially developed therapeutic exercises.
Osteoarthritis belongs to a group of chronic diseases that cause irreversible consequences that cannot be completely eliminated. Therapeutic measures are designed to slow down degenerative processes as much as possible.
In both cases, people who have any obvious signs of these diseases should consult a specialist immediately and it is not worth treating these diseases on their own. Take care of your health and get what you want.