According to observations, more than 6, 000 search engine users are interested in the difference between arthrosis and arthritis every month. At first glance, the disease is similar: in both cases, damage to the joints occurs. However, ignorance of the main differences of these defeats is a real pitfall, leading to irreparable complications. The nature of the disease is different, which means that treatment and prevention will be different from each other. Let's consider each as much as possible and find all the similarities and differences.
What is Arthritis?
Before dealing with the causes and symptoms of the disease, it is necessary to mention the amount. Arthritis is a disease of more than 200 types that manifests itself in various ways. Unlike arthrosis, which speaks for itself with the advent of old age, arthritis appears as early as the age of 25-40 years. According to the WHO, more than 19% of disability cases are the result of its complications.
Arthritis is an inflammatory joint disease caused by a weakened immune process or a severe infection (intestinal or genitourinary). Metabolic disorders, stress, hypothermia are often the cause of the development of inflammation.
The main symptoms of this disease are fever in the middle part of the lesion, redness, swelling and puffiness. In addition, patients may experience general hyperthermia, loss of strength, conjunctivitis, painful urination.
Arthritis begins with pain in the joints, but in its advanced form affects the heart, liver, kidneys, eyes, and others. Often the disease persists in a vague asymptomatic form, but the first manifestations are standard:
- sharp pain arising both in movement and in a state of complete rest;
- persistent or periodic edema that occurs at the site of the lesion;
- painful joints are "wavy", and this can be determined by touch;
- pain and stiffness of anxious movements in the morning (4-5 am).
Advanced arthritis can develop into arthrosis, and this would be a completely different story.
What is arthrosis?
According to WHO observations, 70% of cases of the disease occur in people over 64 years of age. Osteoarthritis is called the disease of "pianists and athletes", because it is this category that suffers from stress on the wrists, knees, ankles.
Arthrosis is a disease that provokes the deformation of articular tissue to the point of complete destruction. It develops due to a decrease in the amount of joint fluid and circulatory disorders. On the affected articular cartilage, nutrition is disrupted, as it "dries up" and "runs out".
The main task of the joint is to keep the adjacent bones from touching each other. This allows a person to move freely and without pain. The dehydrated articular cartilage is slowly but surely destroyed, leading to similar bone contact. The more the disease progresses, the more people experience pain and stiffness of movement, to the point of disability.
The first symptoms of disability have their own characteristics:
- joint spasm after long rest, subsiding with movement;
- boring clicks, grinding and crushing
- painful sensations when walking and physical exercise.
With arthrosis, only the joints are affected, without affecting other organs. The inflammatory process in this case is absent.
Comparison of side effects
To understand exactly how arthritis differs from arthrosis, it is necessary to illustrate the parallels between the main differences, concluding the above:
- It hurts. The disease joins the first and second diseases, but its manifestations have different properties. With arthrosis, the pain appears exclusively during strong, and often mild, movement and force. For this reason, a person is not aware of serious pathology and does not start treatment in a timely manner. However, with each subsequent stage, the pain becomes stronger and begins to bother even at rest.
As for arthritis, here it does not always depend on physical activity and is eliminated only with painkillers. The disease is characterized by pain that occurs in the morning.
- Crispy. Crushing and grinding is not always a concern. However, with arthrosis, it has a strange, rougher and drier voice, increasing with each subsequent stage. It signals a broken cartilage layer and the beginning of bone friction. In arthritis, grinding is not uncommon.
- Change the shape. With arthrosis, deformed joints, and inflammatory processes can also occur. With arthritis, seals appear, edema, redness and hyperthermia appear, but deformation only occurs if one disease has progressed to another.
- Not moving. With arthrosis, the affected joint becomes stiff.
- Age threshold. Arthritis can develop even in children, however, according to statistics, the average age of patients is 25-40 years. Arthrosis is considered a disease of "old age" and is the result of natural aging. Also at risk are people whose lives are associated with stress on the joints.
- Development of symptoms. Arthritis symptoms make themselves feel like they are already in the early stages of inflammation. The second disease develops slowly and without symptoms, which is why the disease misleads the patient, without causing concern.
How is arthritis treated?
The disease makes itself already feel acute in the first stage, which is why in most cases, the disease is treated in a timely manner. If at the time of diagnosis no internal organ lesions are detected, recovery goes smoothly. The course of treatment of this disease is carried out with the help of anti-inflammatory drugs and immune boosters, as well as antibiotics. If the condition persists, it recurs until full recovery.
Recovery occurs in a complex way, therefore, patients are given special therapeutic training, diet and rejection of bad habits. During this period, power loads are not included.
If the arthritis is chronic, rheumatoid, it cannot be completely cured. For temporary improvement, strong drugs are used - cytostatics, corticosteroids. Today, medication makes it possible to achieve long -term remission of the disease, avoiding too many hormonal agents. However, to prevent the development of such incidents, you should not do self -treatment and postpone a visit to the doctor.
How is arthrosis treated?
The effectiveness of arthrosis treatment depends on the stage of the disease: the earlier it is detected, the faster a person will recover. The age of the patient also plays an important role. As a therapeutic measure, the patient is assigned to regulate the load on the affected joint, medication to the liver.
The disease, which has taken a chronic form, eventually does not disappear, however, modern medicine is able to control the disease efficiently, preventing the joints from further changing. In a neglected form, when irreversible, they use artificial endoprosthetics.
Whichever of the two diseases a person considers, treatment should be efficient and timely. At least on suspicion of disease, seek the advice of an experienced specialist, because the loss of time forever loses health. For help from a qualified orthopedic traumatologist, contact the clinic.