Osteoarthritis and arthritis - what's the difference?

Osteoarthritis and arthritis both affect the joints and have similar symptoms. Therefore, they are often confused. Even their names match, but they are completely different diseases. If osteoarthritis destroys the joints, then arthritis causes an inflammatory process throughout the body. This is the basic difference between osteoarthritis and arthritis. Now in more detail.

The most important thing about arthritis

Arthritis is a progressive disease caused by infections, immune or metabolic disorders, hormonal imbalances. There are over 200 varieties. The main symptom of arthritis is inflammation in the joint area, swelling, reddening of the skin. In advanced form, the disease leads to complications for the heart, kidneys and liver. People between the ages of 25 and 40 are at risk.

Arthritis Symptoms

The disease can be hidden. The first signs of osteoarthritis are usually:

• Pains. It comes on suddenly and gets worse with movement. It is felt more intensely at night, stiffness is felt after sleep;
• tissue changes. Arthritis is characterized by swelling and redness of the skin, synovitis and bursitis are possible (in the first case we are talking about inflammation of the synovial membrane, in the second - the articular sac);
• temperature rise. As a rule, the temperature in the affected joints increases. A high body temperature (38-39 degrees) can also be observed.

Symptoms aggravate the manifestations of the inflammatory process:

• Exhaustion;
• painful urination;
• Chills;
• conjunctivitis.

If the symptoms are ignored, the disease becomes chronic. As a result, the work of the internal organs is disrupted, and the change in the joints can lead to disability.

The most important thing about arthritis

Osteoarthritis is a non-inflammatory disease that causes deformation and destruction of cartilage tissue. Cartilage covers the surface of the joint and keeps the bones from touching. If it's okay, the person moves freely and pain-free. The causes of the pathology can be different: heredity, deviations in the structure of the joints, injuries, excessive loads. Unlike arthritis, the disease only affects the joints.

Osteoarthritis tends to develop in older people as the joint surfaces wear down with age. The disease also occurs in people who professionally put a lot of strain on the joints of the hands, wrists and legs. Osteoarthritis is therefore also referred to as "athlete's disease" or "pianist's disease".

Arthritis Symptoms

The disease is indolent. In the early stages, there may be no symptoms. The first symptoms of osteoarthritis are usually the following:

• The joint is immobile after sleep or long rest, but this quickly disappears with movement;
• Crunch, rattle, click - all this is accompanied by a dull sound;
• Pain on movement and exertion.

In the later stages of osteoarthritis, the symptoms are already noticeable: the joint becomes immobile, pain occurs and the "hard joint" syndrome also develops - soft cartilage tissue is replaced by bone growths. The development of the disease leads to the immobilisation of one ormultiple joints.

Clear signs of arthritis and arthrosis

By carefully studying the symptoms and causes of osteoarthritis and arthritis, you can easily tell the difference. We've summarized the differences in the diseases to make this difference even clearer.

Mark	arthrosis	arthritis
area affected	Joints, cartilage, spaces between bones	Joints, bones, internal organs: heart, liver, kidneys
The nature of the disease	Degenerate, destructive. Only the joints are affected	Flammable. The disease affects the internal organs
Common Causes	Increased load on the joints, heredity	Severe infection, metabolic disorder
Age	It develops in people of mature or advanced age. Risk factor - activities related to excessive stress on the joints	It develops in people between the ages of 25 and 40, but also occurs in adolescents and children
Pains	Often this is a mild pain that occurs with movement and force exertion. In later stages, the pain becomes more intense.	The pain is aggravated by movement, most severely in the early hours of the morning.
Crunch and crunch	Deaf clicks, dry crunch or crunch are characteristic	Does not belong to the properties
deformation	The joint is deformed, an inflammatory process is manifested	There are seals, swelling, redness and fever in the joint area. Deformation occurs when one disease has evolved into another.
Decreased mobility	Osteoarthritis binds only the affected joint.	Stiffness throughout the body or in a joint
acute symptoms	The joint "hardens" with the formation of bony growths. When this happens, the person is unable to move their leg or fingers.	High temperature - 38-39 degrees, conjunctivitis develops, there is a breakdown and fever
development of symptoms	It develops slowly, in the initial stages it is asymptomatic	At the initial stage, there are symptoms of inflammation in the area of \u200b\u200bthe affected joint.

Prevention of arthritis and arthrosis

The disease is easier to prevent than to treat. Disease prevention includes:

• Moderate physical activity - fitness, swimming pool, skiing, cycling are suitable;
• joint gymnastics - you can do it with a trainer in physical therapy or stretch your joints at home;
• Proper nutrition - with a tendency to bone diseases, it is worth abandoning red meat and high-fat foods. It is better to add more fruits and vegetables, fish and seafood to the diet. If you are overweight, you should follow a diet;
• Drink enough water - 2 liters a day. It is advisable to avoid alcohol.

To reduce the risk of disease, doctors recommend wearing comfortable shoes, not sitting cross-legged, not freezing and not experiencing stress.

If you have symptoms similar to arthritis or osteoarthritis, make an appointment at our orthopedic center. These diseases significantly reduce the quality of life, so it is important to diagnose them in time and start treatment.