When complaining about joint pain, some patients are faced with the diagnosis of "arthritis", others - "arthritis".When they met, exchanging descriptions of their symptoms in a conversation, they suddenly came to the conclusion that there was only one disease, since it manifested itself almost identically in both cases!The question is: so what is the difference between arthritis and arthrosis?Indeed, many people confuse these diseases, but despite similar symptoms, arthritis and arthrosis are different diseases with significant differences in clinical course.Specifically, understanding the cause of the disease, the mechanism of its appearance and development will lead to effective treatment methods.
Arthritis and arthritis: what do they have in common
The occurrence of arthritis and osteoarthritis can be due to one factor or a combination of many causes.Both diseases can develop under the influence of injury or diabetes.In both cases, patients experience degenerative-dystrophic changes in the articular cartilage, leading to severe pain and, in some cases, limited mobility.The target of the disease is the joints and tissues around the joints of the body, especially the knee joints.Patients, sometimes overcoming pain, take care of themselves and without effective therapy all their efforts are in vain.The patient loses the ability to work and instead becomes disabled.
According to the accepted ICD-10 classification, arthritis and arthropathy are combined into a subgroup “Arthropathy” - disorders that primarily affect the peripheral joints (extremities).
Arthritis and arthritis: the difference
Sometimes it is not possible to accurately determine the cause of either of these diseases, but the consequences that develop are the same: pain and stiffness in the joints, swelling, edema, redness, hyperemia of the skin on the affected area, etc.In fact, only a person without a medical education could confuse these two completely different pathologies, but a doctor can easily distinguish one from the other.
The main difference is that if the direct cause of arthritis is mechanical damage, excessive or disproportionate load on the joint apparatus, age-related changes, then arthritis manifests itself as an inflammatory process in the joints and periarticular tissues.When you have arthritis, your blood count is normal and there is no damage to other organs and systems.With arthritis, the opposite picture is observed: specific proteins, increased ESR and leukocytes will be detected in the blood.The pathological process involves the heart, kidneys and genitourinary system.
Another difference is that arthritis primarily affects the knee and hip joints, which bear the bulk of the supporting stabilizing load.Arthritis favors small joints in the hands, feet, and wrists and rarely affects the elbows, knees, and hips.
What causes arthritis?
Arthritis is defined by experts as a non-inflammatory joint disease that is chronic and progressive.As a result of degenerative-dystrophic changes, articular cartilage is destroyed.Arthritis is often accompanied by inflammation of the synovium of joints or ligaments (synovitis), which also contributes to increased destruction of joint structures.
It is because of synovitis that in the English medical literature, osteoarthritis is referred to as osteoarthritis, using the suffix “-itis” to indicate the presence of an inflammatory process.Although synovitis is not an integral part of arthritis, it can still occur in its absence.
It is believed that joint diseases are very common in older people.Indeed, with age, the risk of joint damage increases, but athletes are also at increased risk due to overexertion or poor technique, such as with strength exercises.In addition, destruction of the joint-ligamentary apparatus can lead to:
- genetic predisposition,
- congenital or acquired pathologies of joint development (dysplasia, epidermal detachment of bones, joint hypermobility, etc.),
- the presence of metabolic and hormonal disorders such as diabetes,
- overweight and obesity.
Danish scientists conducted a study on risk factors for primary osteoarthritis in the hip and knee joints.The results show that genetic and environmental factors have different effects on weight-bearing joints.When it comes to the hip joint, the most important factors for the development of pathology are the genetic component (47%) and the environment (22%).Meanwhile, for the development of the same pathology in the knee joint, age and gender differences, especially after 50 years of age, as well as various environmental factors are of greatest importance.
The destruction of cartilage tissue can also develop due to inflammatory diseases of the bones and joints (gout, rheumatoid arthritis, etc.).
What is arthritis?
Arthritis is often referred to as the entire range of inflammatory joint diseases.If the disease affects one joint, it is monoarthritis;more than one is polyarthritis.Arthritis is distinguished as an independent disease and a manifestation of other diseases.In the first case we are talking about rheumatism, infectious arthritis, gout.In the second part - about psoriatic arthritis and reactions.Inflammatory processes in the joints can also be a consequence of hepatitis, Lyme disease (tick-borne borreliosis) or granulomatous disease.
Rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune disease in which a person's immune system mistakenly attacks tissue in their own body.In this case, in addition to inflammatory reactions in other organs, synovitis of the joint occurs without the penetration of bacterial pathogens into it.Joints swell, pain appears and mobility is impaired.
Another form of arthritis is gout, a systemic disease caused by improper metabolism.Excess uric acid is deposited on joint surfaces, causing inflammation.Genetics, hormonal factors (in most cases in men) and poor nutrition are of great importance in the development of the disease.Gout is often confused with joint damage in the big toe area.
The development of some types of arthritis is provoked by the penetration of pathogenic microorganisms into the joint space, most often bacteria.