What is the difference between arthritis and arthrosis of the joints?

The problem of joint diseases is always relevant. After forty years, about a third of all people begin to experience pain with movement, and after fifty, more than half of the population begins to experience pain. The gradual destruction of the cartilage, ligaments, bones and soft tissues around the joints is called by doctors the general term "osteoarthritis".

How can this condition be prevented? And what treatments will help relieve pain when the disease has already developed? To answer these questions, you must first understand the difference between arthritis and arthrosis - the most common joint pathologies.

What is arthritis?

What is the main difference between arthritis and arthrosis can be seen from the names: acute, sudden diseases end with "-itis"; with "-from" – slowly progressing diseases, chronic processes.

Arthritis is an inflammatory joint damage that occurs due to a malfunction of the immune system due to infection (for example, sore throat or otitis), trauma, metabolic disorders, hypothermia, stress or other causes (even autoimmune).

The first signs appear like this:

• sharp pain in one or more joints (often not only during movement), especially early in the morning;
• enlargement, swelling, edema, redness of the inflamed joint;
• noticeable increase in temperature at the site of inflammation.

The inflammatory processes caused by arthritis can affect the whole body. In this case, the patient feels high temperature, chills, loses strength and may get inflammation of other organs (eyes, genitourinary system, even heart, lungs, liver and kidneys).

Arthritis has several dozen forms. The most common of them are:

• rheumatism– inflammation of the connective tissue of large and medium joints, occurring after infections;
• rheumatoid arthritis- autoimmune slow process that symmetrically affects several joints at the same time; causes the appearance of "knots", pain, loss of mobility; can cause inflammation of many organs;
• gout– caused by accumulation of uric acid in the blood and salts in the joints; most often begins with a sharp pain in the joint of the big toe;
• reactive arthritis– occurs against the background of damage to the body from infections (chlamydia, streptococci, etc. );
• infectious arthritis– starts due to bacterial infection of the joint itself.

What is osteoarthritis?

Unlike arthritis, arthrosis is not accompanied by inflammatory processes. It provokes poor blood circulation in the joint, which leads to drying out of the cartilaginous parts.

Arthritis is a disease that deforms and destroys joint tissue. With it, the connective layers are dehydrated, thinned and "wear out". The bones begin to touch, which causes pain and makes it difficult for a person to move.

Signs of arthrosis of the joints are:

• after a long period of immobility (for example, a night's rest), the joint "freezes" but then rapidly develops when activity is resumed;
• the work of the joint is accompanied by strange sounds (clicking, crunching, grinding);
• physical activity causes pain.

What are the differences between arthritis and arthrosis?

Both diseases affect the joints. But they are caused by different reasons, proceed in different ways and can lead to very different consequences. Only the correct diagnosis, based on the difference between arthritis and arthrosis, can prevent irreparable damage to the body.

It takes time for cartilage degeneration to develop sufficiently and bone deformation to begin. Therefore, chronic arthrosis usually manifests itself in old age (after 60 years, less often after 50). The most susceptible to changes are the joints that constantly work under load: the fingers of musicians, the knees of athletes and loaders, the ankles of people who walk a lot or work in a standing position, etc.

In contrast, arthritis can occur even in a child. The inflammatory process causes pathology of the synovial membrane, saturated with blood vessels and joint fluid (while in arthrosis it is simply produced in insufficient quantities). Unfortunately, almost one in five cases of disability in the world is caused by various forms and complications of arthritis.

Inflammation can affect not only the joints, but also other tissues with active blood circulation: blood vessels and heart, lungs, abdominal organs, eyes, urinary system, etc. On the other hand, arthrosis is limited by local mechanical bone damage and osteophyte formation in the areas of joint deformation. Although it is in a late stage and advanced form, the disease can also lead to disability, completely immobilizing a person's limbs.

How do arthritis and arthrosis manifest?

Let's compare the external manifestations to clearly explain the difference between the symptoms of arthritis and arthrosis.

1. pain. In the initial stage of arthrosis (which lasts for years), joint pain appears during physical activity and disappears after rest. It is rarely sharp and strong. Even when the disease develops, when the pain can appear even with small movements and even at rest, it is usually enough to put the body in a comfortable position to subside. With arthritis, the patient is worried about acute pain attacks of great force, which can only be extinguished with special drugs. A characteristic symptom is pain at rest, especially early in the morning.
2. Clicking, grinding, crunching joints. In the joints affected by arthrosis, the cartilaginous layers are destroyed. They stop protecting the heads of the bones from contacting each other. Therefore, when they move, the bones touch and rub, producing harsh, dry sounds. The more the disease progresses, the louder and louder the clicking of the joints becomes. Arthritis is usually not accompanied by such symptoms.
3. Deformation of the joint and surrounding tissues. The development of arthrosis over time leads to a change in the shape of the bones: their heads begin to crumble and wear out, and osteophytes may appear. Sometimes in the acute stages there is swelling and aching pain, but these symptoms are not permanent. But the joint affected by arthritis becomes inflamed and swollen. Swelling and seals appear. The skin becomes red and hot.
4. Limited mobility. Osteoarthritis causes stiffness in a specific joint that goes away with movement. In the deeper stages, the stiffness increases, the amplitude of flexion decreases, which ultimately leads to immobility. With arthritis, you may feel stiffness throughout your body and trying to move will cause sharp pain.
5. Changes in blood composition. Osteoarthritis is not an inflammatory disease, so it is not reflected in the analysis. Arthritis causes a significant increase in the erythrocyte sedimentation rate, which indicates an active infectious and inflammatory process.

Thus, the symptoms of arthrosis in the early stages can rarely cause great anxiety and discomfort. This leads to a careless attitude and late diagnosis of the disease, which means that it complicates further treatment.

Causes of osteoarthritis

There are several factors that increase the risk of pathological changes in the joints and surrounding tissues: constant overload, imbalance of the immune and hormonal systems, poor physical form. Therefore, to prevent illness, you should regularly follow these recommendations:

1. Maintain moderate physical activity through simple exercises, walking, swimming, etc. This will help you get rid of excess weight, improve blood circulation, strengthen muscles - and thus relieve stress on the joints.
2. Try to eat healthy foods. Fatty foods, red meat and alcohol can be harmful. On the contrary, seafood, fruits and vegetables, as well as dishes containing cartilage and gelatin, will be good for the body. It is important to drink plenty of clean water (2-3 liters per day).
3. Choose suitable clothes and shoes: comfortable heels, warm enough, not restricting movement.
4. If possible, avoid stress, disturbances and other "shocks" to the body.

However, if a person has already been diagnosed with arthritis or arthrosis, before performing even such simple actions, you should consult a doctor. In some cases, conventional prophylaxis can also harm and worsen the condition.

But how are arthritis and arthrosis treated? What is the difference? The causes of these pathologies are different: immune processes, fighting infection in the first case versus cartilage malnutrition in the second. Therefore, the ways to deal with them will be different. To choose the right course of action, you must first make an accurate diagnosis.

To do this, it is best to undergo radiography and MRI in combination with laboratory tests of blood and urine. After studying the results, the doctor will prescribe appropriate recommendations.

Treatment of arthritis

If the acute form of the disease is caused by an infection, then it can be cured with antibiotics. But in this case, it is important to choose the drug correctly: it is necessary to neutralize the pathogenic bacteria before the pathology of the joint becomes irreversible. The course is supplemented with anti-inflammatory and immune-supporting drugs.

In the case of chronic arthritis (e. g. rheumatoid), treatment should be carried out regularly throughout life. Corticosteroids, cytostatics and modern biological products are most often used. These are quite powerful drugs, so to ensure that they do not cause harm to the body, the correct calculation of doses, frequency and duration of use is crucial.

For severe pain, your doctor may also prescribe a course of analgesics. And accompanying methods of support are necessarily recommended: diet, physiotherapy and a course of physiotherapy. If the inflammation has covered other organs, the patient should be referred for additional specialized tests.

Treatment of arthrosis

Modern methods make it possible to almost completely get rid of the manifestations of the disease if the diagnosis is made at an early stage and the patient's age does not reach forty years. To do this, in addition to the standard monitoring of stress on the joint and a course of drugs (they initiate regeneration, restore nutrition and hydration of the cartilage), the patient may be prescribed mud wraps, electrophoresis and acoustic therapy (which affects the affected tissue withlow frequency sounds).

In elderly people or in advanced forms, arthrosis cannot be completely cured, but it is possible to achieve a significant improvement in the condition and slow down the destructive processes in the joint. This requires strict adherence to the doctor's recommendations: regular use of drugs (for example, chondroprotectors), maintaining a healthy lifestyle, timely implementation of prescribed procedures, monitoring the load on the joints.

In arthrosis, the main attention is paid to the restoration of the cartilage layer. If there are accompanying symptoms of inflammatory processes, antibiotics or corticosteroids can be prescribed to relieve the acute stage and switch to the main treatment regimen. In some severe cases, surgery and even implantation of an artificial joint may be necessary.