According to observations, more than 6, 000 search engine users are interested in the differences between arthrosis and arthritis each month. At first glance, the diseases are similar: in both cases, painful injuries occur in the joints. However, the lack of knowledge of the main differences of this same defeat is a real trap, leading to irreparable complications. The nature of these diseases is different, which means that treatment and prevention will be different. We will consider each of them in as much detail as possible and find all the similarities and differences.
What is arthritis?
Before addressing the causes and symptoms of the disease, it is worth quoting the numbers. Arthritis is a disease with more than 200 varieties that are manifested in various ways. Unlike arthrosis, which talks about itself with the advent of old age, arthritis has appeared since the age of 25-40 years. According to the WHO, more than 19% of the cases of disability were due to complications.
Arthritis is an inflammatory disease of the joints resulting from weakened immune processes or serious infections (intestinal or genitourinary). Disruptions in metabolism, stress and hypothermia often become the cause of the development of inflammation.
The main symptoms of the disease are fever at the center of the lesion, redness, swelling and swelling. In addition, the patient may have general hyperthermia, loss of strength, conjunctivitis, pain when urinating.
Arthritis starts with joint pain, but in its advanced form it affects the heart, liver, kidneys, eyes, etc. Often, the disease proceeds in an asymptomatic cloudy form, but its first manifestations are standard:
- sharp pains that arise both in movement and in a state of complete rest;
- persistent or recurrent edema that occurs at the injury site;
- the sore joint is "stormy", and this can be determined by touch;
- pain and stiffness of movement are worrisome in the early hours of the morning (4-5 hours).
Advanced arthritis can progress to osteoarthritis, and this will 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 "pianist and athlete" disease, as it is this category that is subject to tension in the wrists, knees, ankles.
Arthrosis is a disease that causes deformation of the joint tissues until complete destruction. It develops due to a decrease in the amount of joint fluid and circulatory disorders. In the affected articular cartilage, nutrition is impaired, so it "dries up" and "wears out".
The main function of a joint is to prevent the adjacent bones from touching. This allows a person to move freely and without pain. The dehydrated articular cartilage is slowly but surely destroyed, which leads to the same bone contacts. The more the disease progresses, the more the person feels pain and stiffness in movement, even disability.
The first symptoms of deformity have their own characteristics:
- joint stiffness after a long rest, receding with movement;
- dull clicks, shredding and shredding;
- painful sensations when walking and physical effort.
In arthrosis, only the joints are affected, without affecting other organs. Inflammatory processes in this case are absent.
Side-by-side comparison of diseases
To understand precisely how arthritis differs from arthrosis, it is worth drawing a parallel between the main differences, summarizing the above:
- Ache. It accompanies the first and second illnesses, but their manifestation is of a different nature. In arthrosis, pain appears exclusively during movement and strength loads and is usually mild. Therefore, the person is unaware of serious pathologies and does not start treatment in a timely manner. However, with each subsequent stage, the pain becomes more intense 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 early hours of the morning.
- Crunch. Grinding and grinding is not always a cause for concern. However, in arthrosis, it has a peculiar sound, more coarse and dry, increasing with each subsequent stage. It becomes a sign of the destroyed cartilaginous layer and the beginning of bone friction. In arthritis, grinding is not common.
- Deformation. In arthrosis, the joint is deformed and inflammatory processes can also occur. With arthritis, seals, edema, redness and hyperthermia appear, but deformation occurs only if one disease has flowed to another.
- Immobility. With arthrosis, the affected joint becomes stiff.
- Age threshold. Arthritis can even develop in children, however, according to statistics, the average age of patients is 25 to 40 years. Arthrosis is considered a disease of "old age" and is the result of natural aging. People whose life is associated with joint stress are also at risk.
- Development of symptoms. The symptoms of arthritis are already felt in the initial stage of inflammation. The second disease develops slowly and asymptomatically, so it deceives the patient, without causing concern.
How is arthritis treated?
The disease is felt acutely in the first stage, which is why in most cases it is treated in a timely manner. If, during the diagnosis, no damage to the internal organs is detected, the recovery occurs without problems. The course of treatment of the disease is done with the help of anti-inflammatory and immuno-strengthening drugs, in addition to antibiotics. If the situation is running, it will be repeated until complete recovery.
Recovery occurs in a complex way, therefore, the patient is prescribed special therapeutic exercises, diet and rejection of bad habits. During this period, all energy charges are excluded.
If arthritis is chronic, rheumatoid, it cannot be completely cured. For temporary improvement, powerful drugs are used - cytostatics, corticosteroids. Today, medicine allows long-term remission of this disease, avoiding an overabundance of hormonal agents. However, in order to prevent this development of events, you should not self-medicate and postpone the visit to the doctor.
How is osteoarthritis treated?
The effectiveness of treating arthrosis depends on the stage of the disease: the sooner it is detected, the sooner the person will recover. The age of the patient also plays an important role. As a therapeutic measure, the patient is assigned to regulate the loads on the affected joint, medication for the liver.
The disease, which has acquired a chronic form, does not settle definitively, but modern medicine is capable of controlling the disease in a competent way, preventing the joint from becoming more deformed. In a neglected way, when it cannot be restored, they resort to the artificial endoprosthesis.
Whichever of the two illnesses a person encounters, treatment must be competent and timely. At the slightest suspicion of a disease, seek the advice of an experienced specialist, as wasted time is wasted health forever. For assistance from a qualified orthopedic traumatologist, contact the clinic.