Arthritis and arthrosis, or osteoarthritis, are completely different diseases. They are different even though they seem very similar to each other, and their symptoms in some cases may coincide. You will learn about the main differences between arthritis and arthrosis further from our article.
In arthritis, the basis of pathogenesis is inflammation of the joints, which can occur as a result of:
Allergic or autoimmune reaction.
Arthritis also manifests itself against the background of various injuries or destabilization of metabolic processes (for example, gout). Arthritis can be part of several other ailments (for example, systemic inflammatory diseases, connective tissue problems or vasculitis, and much more).
Arthrosis is not characterized by inflammatory origin. Its occurrence is associated with destructive changes in the joint itself, as well as in the cartilage tissue. The most common causes of arthrosis include excessive load on the joint (most often, excess weight) and banal wear and tear of tissues with age. Arthrosis can also be caused by injuries, destabilization of blood supply and metabolism in the joint.
Among themselves, arthrosis is divided into primary, which is characterized by a violation of the restoration of cartilage cells due to poor blood supply, and secondary, which are formed against the background of an already existing lesion, for example, injury.
Arthrosis is a common disease among older and older people. This is explained by the fact that by the age of 60, almost any person can detect minimal degenerative changes in the articular tissues.
The special risk category includes:
People whose activities are directly related to constant overload of the joints, for example, with prolonged stay in an almost motionless position, standing or sitting, as well as with professional sports;
Those who are very overweight and have various metabolic disorders.
Arthritis usually develops at a much younger age. We are talking about a period of approximately 35 to 50 years. The youngest, including children, most often develop acute processes. We are talking about purulent, allergic and reactive arthritis. In this case, the disease is characterized by a rapid course and a good prognosis for recovery with timely treatment.
In older people, arthritis most often develops against the background of arthrosis and can take on a protracted, often recurrent nature.
Arthritis can be characterized not only by acute, but also by chronic course. Moreover, if an acute process develops, subsequent compensation of all destructive changes that have occurred in the joint tissues is likely. If the course of the disease is chronic, then the disease eventually provokes irreversible changes in the joint, up to the complete loss of its functionality.
The speed at which irreversible changes develop depends on:
Causes of joint damage;
Arthrosis is always a chronic disease. Once they begin to appear, changes in the joint area will not disappear anywhere and will systematically lead the person to disability. The only method that makes it possible to slow down the course of the disease should be considered a timely start of the process of supporting and restoring cartilage tissue. We are talking about chondroprotectors, vitamin complexes, herbal medicines and other means. It is also necessary to follow medical recommendations (correct excess weight and follow a diet).
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Arthritis most often occurs acutely, but arthrosis develops gradually, slowly gaining momentum. This is precisely what causes difficulties with timely diagnosis of osteoarthritis. Due to delays in diagnosis and initiation of therapy, irreversible changes in joint tissues usually already have time to develop.
The manifestations of arthritis are always more obvious. This can be intense swelling, unexpected pain, or almost complete restriction of movement in the joint. In addition, in the case of arthritis, sharp pain appears at the very beginning of the disease and requires the prescription of painkillers at the earliest stages. Pain with arthrosis is usually aching in nature, it develops gradually and is directly dependent on how pronounced the degenerative changes in the tissues are.
Swelling in the case of arthritis is most often sharply marked, and in osteoarthritis it appears only when inflammation occurs. Also, in the case of arthritis, redness of the skin over the joint that has become inflamed often occurs.
Arthritis, unlike arthrosis, is accompanied by such signs of intoxication as:
Increased body temperature;
Feeling of “ache” in muscles and joints;
Arthrosis is characterized by the formation of so-called “articular mice,” which are necrotic bone fragments in the articular cavity. This may be associated with the appearance of serious pain and a feeling of “joint jamming”. The second occurs when these fragments are sandwiched between the articular surfaces.
Most often, arthrosis is treated at home. If acute arthritis occurs, you should immediately consult a specialist. In more complex situations, treatment in a hospital or surgery may be required (for example, puncture of the joint cavity in the case of a purulent process). Emergency medical support would be appropriate if there is sudden onset of severe pain and obvious swelling of the joint, or if the pain occurs after an injury (fractures and other traumatic injuries should be ruled out).
An orthopedic traumatologist deals with the treatment of arthrosis, and a variety of specialists help get rid of arthritis, depending on the origin of the disease. We are talking about rheumatologists, infectious disease specialists, allergists-immunologists and many others. Mild and non-severe stages of acute arthritis and exacerbation of a chronic disease can be treated at home.
Thus, the difference between arthritis and arthrosis is obvious, and therefore one should carefully approach the issue of their diagnosis, treatment and prevention.
Author of the article: Muravitsky Igor Valerievich, rheumatologist
Joints have two main “enemies” that prevent them from working properly. These diseases are arthritis and arthrosis, despite the similar names, the essence of the pathological processes occurring is different. The area affected by these diseases is cartilage.
Cartilage tissue plays an important role in the performance of joints. It has no blood vessels or nerve endings, making it durable and able to withstand heavy loads. This softens the effect on those tissues that contain nerve fibers or blood capillaries.
When the body moves, cartilage ensures unhindered and painless rotation of the bone heads in the joints, reducing damage from friction to zero. When jumping, cartilage tissue acts as shock absorbers, absorbing inertial load.
Arthritis and arthrosis “fetter” the functioning of the joints and prevent full movement. Some symptoms of these diseases are similar, others are radically different.
When a person begins to feel pain in a particular joint, this may indicate the onset of a disease such as arthritis. This disease refers to inflammation of the cartilage.
The disease can affect all components of the joint:
Patients with arthritis complain of acute pain, for example in the knee, and limited mobility of the limb. Characterized by increased temperature and redness of the inflamed area. The pain may be “coupled”, affecting a similar joint on the other limb.
A constant sign of the disease is visually visible external tissue swelling.
Despite the decrease in the functionality of the joint, its internal structure does not change. This is only inflammation of the cartilage caused by metabolic disorders, infection, or caused by injury, which with proper treatment can be eliminated without subsequent degradation of the joint itself.
The photo shows the difference between arthritis and arthrosis
This disease is more associated with internal changes in the joint. Since cartilage lacks blood vessels, its nutrition and repair is provided by synovial fluid, which contains the necessary beneficial chemicals.
With age, metabolic processes slow down, and cartilage tissue, receiving less nourishment, begins to wear out faster than it can be restored. This leads to its thinning.
The deteriorating thin cartilage is no longer able to absorb stress well, so patients with arthrosis experience pain when walking or working with the affected joint.
No inflammatory processes are observed. The disease is exclusively age-related and associated with individual lifestyle characteristics (proper eating habits and taking additional supporting substances can serve as good prevention and delay the onset of the disease for a long time).
Degradation of cartilage tissue leads to pain, which is aching in nature. There is no swelling or redness.
Arthrosis is a disease that affects a specific joint. There is no parallel development at a similar location in the adjacent limb. The disease often “selects” a large “node” in the anatomy. This could be the hip or knee joint.
Arthritis and arthrosis have similarities in the manifestation of some symptoms. They are:
Despite the general symptoms and the nature of the sensations, their number and location can indicate what type of disease they belong to. Differences in the manifestations of diseases will help to more accurately identify the diagnosis.
So, what is the difference between arthritis and arthrosis:
With a more careful examination of the symptoms, it is possible to identify nuances that help to accurately identify the “enemy” that has affected the joint. Below are the main symptoms of the diseases with the main similar and individual manifestations.
Pain is common to both diseases. But since arthritis is associated with inflammation of the joint, pain is an integral part of the course of the entire disease. She has a sharp character. Sometimes patients can feel it at night or in the morning. Painful sensations cause suffering regardless of the type of human action.
Pain with arthrosis is associated with the degradation of cartilage and the inability to fully fulfill its purpose. Shock absorption and friction mitigation are not performed at the proper level, so the bone apparatus is injured.
The pain is aching and appears more often after a long walk or other stress on the affected joint. In the initial stage, the pain may be subtle, but the picture changes as the disease progresses.
Both diseases affect the structure of the articular apparatus. Physiological changes in arthritis are more visual in nature. This:
Arthritis may be accompanied by: psoriasis, increased sweating and weakness. Only some types of disease (traumatic and osteoarthritis) can change the structural structure of the anatomical node.
With arthrosis manifestations, the joint looks as usual on the outside, but irreversible processes occur inside. The cartilage layer becomes thinner, which leads to an increasing load on the bone tissue.
Inflammatory process in arthritis is normal
Arthritis is characterized by swelling in the area of the affected joint.
This is due to inflammation of the synovial film itself, located inside the joint capsule. A blood test shows elevated white blood cells in such patients.
Inflammation can be caused by injury or infection.
In arthrosis, the leukocyte mass is normal, due to the absence of an inflammatory process. Degenerative changes occur smoothly, often unnoticed by the patient.
Crunching sounds in the joint are a sure sign of arthrosis. This is due to wear and tear of the cartilage and painful interaction between the bone tissues. In healthy people, all joints sometimes crack. The difference in the affected area is that the sound will be “dry” and “rough”.
Arthritis does not cause a crunch because the swollen joint is limited in movement, and its cartilage still protects the bone tissue from painful interaction.
Limitation of joint function combines the symptoms of these diseases. But there is a significant difference in the nature of the violation.
With arthrosis pathology, the range of motion decreases, but this happens gradually as the cartilage wears away. Arthritis is characterized by widespread stiffness that paralyzes the function of the joint. This is due to swelling and inflammatory processes.
These diseases can develop due to injuries received while jumping or running. Joint disease can be caused by heavy and prolonged stress. This is the “professional” heritage of many athletes. Hypothermia is another factor contributing to the development of both diseases.
The difference between the diseases is that arthritis can occur due to an infection that has entered the body, which is not typical for arthrosis. This is a general inflammation, where the arthritic manifestation will only be a consequence, for the treatment of which it is necessary to find and eliminate the original source. Another cause of arthritis can be excess weight, which overloads the joints on a daily basis.
Arthrosis is a separate disease that is not related to general health. It can develop due to poor quality nutrition and insufficient supply of necessary substances to cartilage tissue. This can be facilitated by hormonal disorders and diseases of the circulatory tract, which impair the supply of other tissues. More often the disease “accompanies” older people.
Arthritis can develop in a person of any age. As a consequence of infection, it can affect the joints of even young children. Often it affects the fair half of humanity, aged 35-55 years.
Arthrosis is an exclusively “elderly” disease. Structural changes in cartilage tissue occur after 60 years. This is due to deteriorating metabolic processes and other aging factors. People with arthritis are more susceptible to developing arthrosis.
Excess weight, poor diet, and heavy exercise increase the likelihood of developing both diseases.
About arthritis, arthrosis, their differences and similarities:
When diagnosing these diseases, partially similar treatment is prescribed, consisting of:
The difference between treatment is a course of antibiotics in the case of infectious arthritis to remove the underlying cause of the disease.
For arthrosis manifestations, a separate way to eliminate the disease is surgical intervention. This is required in case of complete destruction of the cartilage. In such a situation, it is replaced with a prosthetic joint.
A short table that clearly explains the difference between arthritis and arthrosis:
As preventive measures for both ailments, the following can be distinguished:
For arthritis, additional prevention will be the rapid diagnosis and treatment of any infectious diseases, which will prevent inflammation from spreading to other places.
Despite the similarity of symptoms and consequences, individual joint pathologies have fundamental differences that affect the patient’s treatment strategy. Due to the prevalence of such diseases, it is necessary to know how arthritis differs from arthrosis of the knee joint in order to avoid mistakes in the process of dealing with the problem.
To determine what disease has affected a person, arthritis or arthrosis of the knee joint, it is necessary to consult a doctor and conduct a comprehensive diagnosis. However, even individual signs can point in advance to the right direction. It is worth starting to consider the issue with the causes of diseases, that is, with an analysis of their nature.
Arthritis is an inflammatory process within a joint, which can subsequently involve adjacent tissues and spread to internal organs.
There are two basic forms of pathology:
During the examination, the doctor must determine possible options for the development of the disease. It is important to stop its spread, since there is a real threat to the patient’s life.
As for arthrosis, this disease is associated with impaired nutrition of the tissues of the joint, and therefore it does not extend beyond the musculoskeletal system. Due to disruption of metabolic processes, thinning of the cartilage tissue occurs, which ultimately leads to characteristic deformities of the legs, as in the photo.
The causes of arthrosis may be associated with the following factors:
More often, older people suffer from arthrosis, while arthritis can affect a young person. However, in both cases there are exceptions to the rules, so each situation is considered individually.
To find out how knee arthrosis differs from arthritis, it is necessary to take a closer look at the symptoms and clinical picture of the pathologies. Understanding the differences will help you timely and accurately determine the type of disease in order to begin its treatment, because the price of delay is further health problems, including disability.
Common features of arthritis and arthrosis are the following:
To find out what type of disease is occurring, it is necessary to more carefully analyze the symptoms in a particular case and pay attention to other specific signs.
Depending on whether arthrosis or arthritis of the knee joint worries the patient, the discomfort acquires distinctive characteristics. First, we should take a closer look at the inflammatory process in arthritis.
In arthritis, the pain symptom manifests itself as localized sensations in the area of inflammation. In this case, the knee swells noticeably, the skin becomes hyperemic. With a systemic infection, the general body temperature rises and signs of fever appear.
The motor ability of the joint improves as it develops, that is, the peak of discomfort and stiffness is observed in the morning after sleep, but with prolonged stress they return during the day. In the later stages, pain and stiffness accompany the patient in any condition.
As the infection spreads, symptoms of liver and kidney dysfunction may occur. There is also a risk of tissue suppuration in the joint cavity, fluid accumulation in the capsule and the development of degenerative processes, including necrosis, accompanied by sepsis.
Arthrosis is a degenerative-dystrophic process. As a result, thinning of the cartilage lining occurs, which is not necessarily accompanied by inflammation.
The main symptoms of gonarthrosis are:
With a mixed manifestation of symptoms, it is worth considering a diagnosis such as arthrosis-arthritis of the knee joints. In fact, these are two separate diseases, but arthrosis and arthritis can easily be combined, causing serious disruptions in the functioning of not only the musculoskeletal system, but also the entire body.
The characteristics of these diseases determine the treatment of arthrosis-arthritis of the knee joint. To confirm the diagnosis, it is necessary to undergo a comprehensive examination at a medical institution.
Thus, it is possible to identify specific signs of arthrosis or arthritis, to identify the separate or combined course of these diseases.
In order to diagnose the patient as accurately as possible, it is necessary to undergo a comprehensive examination, which includes laboratory tests for general and specific indicators, examination directly by a doctor, including the use of instrumental techniques.
During a basic examination, the specialist must find out what symptoms bother the patient, palpate the sore knee and collect a complete medical history. Additional events will be scheduled in the future.
Diagnostic methods include the following approaches:
The treatment strategy largely depends not only on whether arthritis or arthrosis was diagnosed, but also on a host of other factors. It is important to find out the exact type of pathology, its form and degree of development, and the consequences.
If it is intended to treat arthrosis-arthritis of the knee joint, it is necessary to combine measures intended for these diseases separately.
The initial stages are in any case much easier to treat and are limited to conservative therapy. If deformities are present, surgery may be necessary.
In addition, it is worth considering that with arthritis you need to get rid of the primary infection, as well as the consequences of its spread throughout the body. At the same time, arthrosis cannot be completely cured if there is already serious damage to the structure of cartilage and bone tissue.
Treatment of arthritis-arthrosis of the knee joint is based on the general principles of treatment of these diseases. The program of conservative methods has many similar provisions regarding the restoration of knee health. The basis of conservative therapy is medications.
To eliminate the manifestations of diseases in both cases, the following drugs are used:
Additionally, muscle relaxants, irritating warming ointments, and vitamin and mineral supplements may be prescribed. For specific diagnoses, the list of medications is established on an individual basis, for example, in the presence of autoimmune processes or the influence of an infectious disease.
To improve blood circulation, relieve symptoms of arthritis and arthrosis, stimulate nutrition and restore tissue, physiotherapeutic, balneological and manual procedures are prescribed.
It is necessary to pay special attention to the issue of how to treat arthrosis of the knee joint at home. Traditional methods are actively used to eliminate pain and inflammation.
The following recipes are considered the most effective:
It is imperative to switch to a nutritious diet to strengthen the immune system and musculoskeletal system. Exercise therapy also helps normalize metabolic processes in tissues and restore motor ability of the legs. The simplest exercises, for example, leg raises, cycling, walking, can be performed independently.
If the disease cannot be eliminated conservatively, for example, with extensive damage in the final stages, treatment of arthrosis-arthritis of the knee joint is carried out surgically.
In this case, the following types of manipulations are possible:
Arthritis and arthrosis differences
Many people suffering from joint diseases believe that arthritis and arthrosis are the same disease. Meanwhile, these are completely different diseases that have only one thing in common - joint damage. The causes of these diseases, the course of the disease and treatment methods differ significantly from each other, which is why it is so important to correctly diagnose the patient.
Arthrosis is a disease of older people; it usually begins to develop in people after 45 years of age and is characterized by gradual deformation of the joints. We can say that arthrosis is an age-related joint disease. Arthritis affects younger people, usually under 40 years of age. Of course, there are exceptions in both cases. For example, an elderly person may develop arthritis due to severe flu. And after a serious injury, a young man may develop arthrosis.
Clinical features of arthritis
Another significant difference between arthrosis and arthritis is that arthrosis affects only a person’s joints, while arthritis affects the entire body system. Arthritis affects important organs such as the heart, kidneys, and lungs. This is due to the different causes of these different diseases. Thus, arthritis in young people can occur as a result of other diseases and infections. Arthrosis occurs as a result of age-related changes in the body.
Clinical features of arthrosis
According to statistics, people suffer from arthrosis much more often than from arthritis. In fact, almost every third person over sixty years of age has this disease, and every second after seventy years of age.
Arthritis and arthrosis have common joint damage, but at the same time they manifest themselves differently, even the nature of pain in these diseases is different.
Arthritis and arthrosis differences are based, among other things, on the symptoms of the disease. When a person gets arthritis, he most often experiences pain in problem areas at night, especially often closer to dawn. Usually this may be a manifestation of some kind of rheumatic disease. Alertness should arise precisely when severe pain occurs in a state of complete rest. If pain occurs when changing body position during sleep, then this is a symptom of arthrosis or other inflammation.
Deviations on the hands with arthritis
Another symptom of arthritis is unusual stiffness in the arms or body in the morning, in the first few hours after waking up. The sensation in the hands may resemble that of hands wearing tight gloves.
The next warning factor is swelling and redness of the metacarpophalangeal joints. In this case, of course, the injury in this part of the hand is not taken into account.
Inflammation of the wrist joints, their swelling and redness almost certainly indicate rheumatoid arthritis.
Another warning sign may be the sudden swelling, like a sausage, of one finger or toe with complete redness. This may be a reason to consult a doctor.
Sometimes a person experiences so-called volatile inflammation of the joints. This is when first one finger becomes inflamed, followed by a second, a third, and then the inflammation goes away by itself without a trace. This can become a symptom of articular rheumatism.
One of the absolute signs of one of the varieties of arthritis is periodic severe inflammation of the knee joints with swelling, ankles or big toes. The inflammation is accompanied by severe pain, which then goes away on its own, literally within a few days. Such attacks of inflammation and pain are repeated with a certain frequency.
One of the signs that joints are suffering from arthritis is that pain decreases with vigorous exercise. With arthrosis of the joints, as a rule, physical activity increases pain. If a person feels significant relief from joint pain when taking non-steroidal drugs, then this can also serve as a symptom of joint arthritis.
Damage to the knee joint due to arthrosis
Osteoarthritis cannot be treated with non-steroidal medications. Indirect signs of arthritis can be a prolonged slight increase in body temperature (low-grade fever), as well as joint pain accompanied by inflammation of the eyes - a burning sensation or sand in the eyes. A patient's history of psoriasis is a risk factor for the development of specific arthritis.
One of the indirect signs of rheumatoid arthritis can be a person’s sudden weight loss, without changing their diet, as well as a sharp change in taste preferences and severe weakness. In addition, one of the symptoms of arthritis may be frequent periods of chills and sweating. Of course, if they are not associated with hormonal changes in the female body during menopause.
This disease affects about ten percent of the population. Most often, this disease harms the knee and hip joints. The joints of the big toe are also very prone to this problem.
The joints of the fingers and ankles are less susceptible to this disease. The remaining joints suffer much less from this disease.
There are several types of arthrosis, but they all have characteristic symptoms that unite them. One of them is the presence of pain during movement. At rest, as a rule, they do not bother you. So, at night they can only hurt when changing the place of the body or, for example, if the knee hurts while walking or squatting, then, as a rule, it stops hurting at rest. Since pain when a joint is affected by arthrosis at the first stage is almost not felt, many patients rarely seek medical help on time.
In the second stage of the disease, pain occurs mainly after significant physical activity. At the third stage, pain accompanies the slightest physical activity. Often this joint disease is accompanied by impaired blood supply. This provokes pain, even at rest. Patients often say that they experience a sensation of “twisting” their joints, pain “when the weather changes,” etc.
Painful sensations are a common symptom that may indicate both arthritis and arthrosis
Another warning factor for arthrosis can be a specific, dull crunching sound in the joints, which is accompanied by pain. Changes in joint mobility can also be a sign of concern. At the first stage of the disease, joint mobility, as a rule, does not change. But as the disease progresses, osteophytes occur, muscle spasms occur, and the range of motion of the joint changes.
Joint deformation is a sign of arthrosis.
In order to understand the cause of inflammation of the joints, it is necessary to take a blood test for biochemistry and rheumatic tests. This test is taken from a vein on an empty stomach. Its readings can help diagnose joint disease. Arthritis typically produces changes in inflammation levels. Arthrosis, on the contrary, does not change the indicators. Sometimes a patient with suspected arthrosis, having passed these tests and having signs of inflammation in them, may raise doubts about the correctness of the diagnosis.
Sometimes even a simple finger prick blood test can help distinguish arthrosis from arthritis. For example, an indicator such as an ESR above 25 may indicate the presence of an inflammatory process in the body.
Special studies can provide significant assistance in diagnosing these joint diseases: x-rays of the joints, spine, MRI, CT scan, skeletal scan, etc.
Among all joint diseases, arthritis and arthrosis have been confidently leading in recent years. Using these words in the lexicon, many do not suspect that similar terms, although they denote joint pathology, are, in fact, completely different diseases. Let's look at the similarities and signs of these pathologies and look in detail at how arthritis differs from arthrosis.
Over the years, certain changes occur in the human body, in particular, nutrition and blood supply to bone tissue decreases, which leads to the development of arthrosis. The main difference between arthrosis and arthritis is that irreversible changes occur in the joint. Destructive processes in cartilage tissue occur much faster than restoration processes. Thus, arthrosis is an age-related disease in which the cartilage tissue of the joint does not become inflamed, but is destroyed. Such changes in cartilage are called degenerative in medicine. Arthrosis is not a fan of wandering through the body. More often it affects one joint, and preferably a large one - hip, knee, etc.
Reasons why joints may crack
Arthritis is commonly called an inflammatory disease of the joints, which is characterized by pain, limited mobility, high fever, swelling and redness of the skin. The disease is caused by a variety of reasons. Here there are allergic reactions, provoking infectious diseases, metabolic disorders, diseases of the nervous system, and traumatic injuries.
The inflammatory process in arthritis can affect either one joint or several at once. In addition, the pain can be “volatile” in nature, as if “jumping” from one joint to another. The anatomical structure of the joint itself is not disturbed; the disease is associated precisely with inflammatory phenomena.
There are also differences between arthritis and arthrosis in the characteristics of pain. If with arthritis patients complain of acute, severe pain, which is the cause of limited mobility, then with arthrosis the pain is long-lasting and aching. Arthritis pain most often occurs at night, closer to the morning. Arthrosis pain - due to physical activity or prolonged walking. Morning stiffness is also a sign of arthritis; it is not observed with arthrosis. But a joint subject to arthrosis changes has a “sound design” - a distinct crunching sound is heard when moving. There is no crunching with arthritis.
The main differences in symptoms are presented in the following table:
Arthritis and arthrosis are diseases that are accompanied by damage to the joints. Most people consider these diseases to be similar, as a result of which they are often confused. But in fact, arthritis and arthrosis have significant differences.
With arthritis, an inflammatory disease of the entire body occurs, when with arthrosis only the joints are affected.
When arthritis manifests itself, the symptoms look like this:
- a feeling of severe pain that does not go away even at rest. The pain may also get worse at night.
Such inflammation occurs very often due to infection, as well as a malfunction or rather intense work of the immune system, which mistakenly directs its own forces against its own body.
The changes that occur in the body with some arthritis negatively affect not only some joints. Very often they affect internal organs - the liver, heart and kidneys. If left untreated, complications from some arthritis can be fatal.
Arthritis is much less common than arthrosis.
Unlike arthritis, which most often occurs in people under 40 years of age, arthrosis is typical for older people, after forty-five years.
For example, arthrosis of the foot is accompanied by a gradual increase in joint deformation.
But in both cases of the disease there may be some exceptions:
- arthritis sometimes occurs in people 60-70 years old after a severe cold, flu, stress or hypothermia;
- the occurrence of arthrosis in a person under forty years of age as a result of serious injuries, more often in professional athletes.
According to statistical data compiled from studies of arthritis and arthrosis on Earth, 2% of the population (most often young people) suffer from various arthritis, and about 10% of the population suffers from arthrosis.
Arthrosis rarely affects young people, but the incidence of arthrosis increases many times. many times.
Necessary examinations for differential diagnosis between arthrosis and arthritis:
- X-ray of the sacroiliac joints;
- clinical blood test;
— analysis for rheumatic tests;
- blood chemistry;
In some situations:
— radioisotope scanning of the skeleton;
- computed tomography or magnetic resonance imaging.
“Arthrosis” and “arthritis” are the names of two different joint diseases. They differ from each other in the causes of development, the characteristics of changes occurring in the joints, symptoms and treatment.
Arthrosis is a disease that is based on the process of degenerative changes in cartilage, when the cartilage tissue of the joint is destroyed and thinned. In turn, arthritis is an inflammatory disease, as a result of which the body releases enzymes that destroy the connective tissue of the joint.
The difference between arthrosis and arthritis is that arthrosis is a disease that is caused by metabolic disorders in the body associated with age or some other reasons, and arthritis is an inflammatory disease.
The main reason for the development of arthrosis is a metabolic disorder occurring in cartilage tissue. As a result, the cartilage loses its elasticity and begins to gradually deteriorate. This can occur due to many factors:
Arthrosis is manifested by pain, morning stiffness and limited mobility. With prolonged exercise (walking, running, standing), the pain intensifies, and with rest it subsides. Characteristic is a gradual progression of symptoms, but the speed of development of the disease may vary.
At the initial stages of arthrosis development, the affected joint looks completely normal, then it is possible to deform and modify the bones that articulate in the joint. In the absence of timely and high-quality treatment, this disease can lead to disability and immobilization of the limb.
Arthritis is characterized by joint pain that occurs mainly at rest and at night. In the morning, such patients usually feel severe stiffness in their arms and legs. After working out the affected joints, pain and stiffness decrease. With this disease, there is a significant deterioration in health, weight loss, and periodic increases in body temperature. Gradually, these symptoms are joined by deformations and dysfunction of the joints, and modifications of the skin over them. In infectious arthritis, fever and chills are noted.
The appearance of diseased joints also differs: with arthritis, they increase in size, turn red, and become hot to the touch. Restriction of the functionality of joints due to arthritis can manifest itself in both mild and severe degrees, up to complete immobility of the limb.
Treatment of arthritis is focused primarily on relieving the inflammatory process occurring in the joint tissue. Inflammation is relieved by long-term systematic use of antibiotics, anti-inflammatory non-steroidal drugs, analgesics and hormonal agents.
Treatment of arthrosis, in turn, is aimed at eliminating the causes that led to changes in the cartilage tissue of the joint. A complete cure is impossible; you can only maintain the cartilage in satisfactory condition and stop the degenerative processes occurring in it. For arthrosis, regular therapeutic exercises for joints and sanatorium treatment are prescribed. When the articular surfaces are destroyed, a partial or complete replacement of the joint or plastic is performed.