The human musculoskeletal system is often affected by diseases such as arthritis and osteoarthritis. Because of the similar names, patients confuse these diagnoses, although in reality they have little in common.
Despite all the differences, only a specialist can accurately determine the disease after a series of examinations and tests, so do not postpone a visit to the clinic at the first signs of joint pathology. Let us consider in detail the symptoms, specific development and treatment methods of osteoarthritis and arthritis.
Features of the mechanism of development of the disease.
Development of osteoarthritis.
Osteoarthritis (or osteoarthritis) is a chronic degenerative joint disease, which most often occurs due to age-related changes in the body. Wear and tear of the joint entails degenerative processes: bone growths ("salt deposits"), friction and trauma to the cartilage, replacement of joint tissues with connective or ossified ones. The disease develops slowly and gradually, at first only slight discomfort and crunching in the joint is felt.
Osteoarthritis is more common in older people, but professional athletes and people who have suffered injuries are also at risk. The disease usually affects one or more large joints.
Development of arthritis.
Arthritis, unlike osteoarthritis, is inflammatory in nature and can occur in a person of any age. This disease is systemic and can affect both the joints and other human organs: heart, kidneys, nervous system. Arthritis manifests itself very clearly: even a non-specialist will notice it.
Arthritis most often occurs against the background of an infectious or bacterial disease, but it can also be a sign of autoimmune pathologies.
If inflammation in the joints is caused by the activity of pathogenic bacteria or an infection, the disease usually begins abruptly, can affect a large number of joints at the same time, and involves both large and small joints in the process.
Both diseases can cause chronic acquired pain, which is today considered an independent clinical syndrome.
Comparison of osteoarthritis and arthritis.
| Comparative characteristics | osteoarthritis | Arthritis |
|---|---|---|
| Age of cases | In most cases: 65-75 years. | Any |
| Cause | Degenerative-dystrophic changes due to metabolic disorders, impaired blood supply to the joint. | Inflammatory process caused by an infectious, bacterial or autoimmune spectrum disease. |
| Joints involved | One or more large joints. | A large number of joints, both large and small, often affected symmetrically. |
| Blood test results. | The average statistical indicators have not changed. | An inflammatory process is detected, sometimes an elevated value of rheumatoid factor. |
| Painful sensations | The pain increases, appears after exercise, at the beginning of the disease there is only discomfort and crunching. | The pain can appear immediately after sleeping, it often has a migratory character and from the beginning of the disease the sensations are intense. |
| External changes | In the early stages: no, in post-traumatic cases swelling may occur. | Sometimes there is redness of the skin over the joint, there may be swelling. |
| Image of the joint | Deformations, narrowing of the joint space, bone spines and growths can be traced; In most cases, X-ray diagnostics give a clear picture of the changes taking place. | In the initial stages, no changes are seen, in advanced cases, bone erosion and ankylosis are possible. |
| Pharmacotherapy | Preparations with chondroitin and glucosamine, symptomatically - NSAIDs, with rapid progression - corticosteroids. | Symptomatically - NSAIDs, sometimes - antibiotics, for autoimmune diseases - corticosteroids |
Causes of the development of diseases
Causes of osteoarthritis
Osteoarthritis is a chronic process and always develops slowly. The blood supply to the joint gradually deteriorates, as a result of which the tissues do not receive the necessary nutrition. The cartilage changes structure, becomes rough and friction occurs. The main carriers of this disease are older people, whose metabolism in the body slows down with age, and overload, excess weight and injuries also make themselves felt.
The disease that arises due to metabolic disorders is called primary osteoarthritis.
According to statistics, degenerative changes in the joints most often affect older, overweight women. Most often, these patients have a genetic predisposition to diseases of this type.
In addition to old age, in rare cases, osteoarthritis can occur in middle-aged and even young people. The most common reasons include:
- professional sports with heavy loads on the joints;
- hard physical work;
- advanced arthritis;
- Previous injuries or surgeries.
In the cases listed above, osteoarthritis will be secondary. A predisposing factor in the development of the disease is obesity. Sometimes this type of disease can be a consequence of damage to the nervous system, which leads to insufficient sensitivity of the joint. Additionally, the disease can be caused by systemic damage to connective tissue.
Causes of arthritis
Arthritis, unlike osteoarthritis, has many different forms and manifestations, which only an experienced specialist can distinguish. Each type has its own cause:
- Reagent- arises as a complication of infectious and bacterial infections, most frequently intestinal and genitourinary.
- rheumatoidIt is an independent autoimmune disease that affects the joints symmetrically.
- Infectious- characterized by inflammation of the joints due to the activity of pathogenic bacteria and infections. Arthritis that occurs in the context of viral hepatitis can also be found among the adult population.
- Gouty- manifests itself as a consequence of gout due to the accumulation of uric acid salts in the tissues of the joints.
- psoriatic- a consequence of the manifestations of psoriasis, which is observed in approximately 10-15% of people with this diagnosis.
- Traumatic- may occur due to injury to the joint or periarticular tissues.
- Rheumatic- is a consequence of rheumatism, most often caused by a streptococcal infection.
In addition, there are types of diseases that are characteristic only of children, for example, juvenile arthritis, which often occurs against the background of infection, fungal or bacterial disease.
Symptoms
Osteoarthritis symptoms
Joint pain, which directly depends on the intensity of movement and physical activity, is the main symptom of osteoarthritis. The disease usually manifests itself in the knee, hip and ankle joints. Small joints are rarely affected.
Discomfort and pain with this disease disappear at rest and gradually increase when trying to move. Apart from pain in the joint area, the patient does not worry about anything else, there is no elevated body temperature, fever or swelling of the joints. Over time, with osteoarthritis, cracking and clicking in the joints are heard more and more clearly, and movement is gradually limited.
Arthritis symptoms
Prolonged inflammation of the joint can lead to osteoarthritis, and, conversely, without adequate treatment of degenerative-dystrophic changes in the joint cavity, an inflammatory process can occur. The symptoms of arthritis are completely different from the signs of osteoarthritis. First of all, these diseases lead to different types of joint pain. In arthritis, pain is usually independent of physical activity and may appear at rest or during the night. Pain sensations can be paroxysmal, "flying", passing from one joint to another. The inflammation in this disease also extends to the periarticular tissues.
Secondly, arthritis can be distinguished from osteoarthritis by other symptoms: general malaise, weakness, increased body temperature and involvement of small joints (fingers, wrists) in the process.
Treatment approach
Pain relief
For both arthritis and osteoarthritis, the main goal of drug treatment remains the relief of pain symptoms. According to studies, the most effective are non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs based on phenylacetic acid, which are successfully used in the treatment of musculoskeletal diseases. Additionally, these NSAIDs have fewer side effects and complications compared to other drugs in the same spectrum.
The study of NSAIDs is based on a drug from the group of phenylacetic acid derivatives, which has become the standard for the treatment of acute and chronic pain. The drug appeared more than 45 years ago, but during this time it has not lost its effectiveness even in comparison with the most modern pain relievers.
Additionally, a study was published several years ago in the Lancet medical journal that compared the effects of several nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs in the treatment of osteoarthritis. The most effective drug belonged to the group of phenylacetic acid derivatives, which not only relieved pain, but also improved joint function.
In addition to non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, other medications are used in the treatment of arthritis and osteoarthritis.
Arthritis treatment
Adequate treatment of arthritis is always complex, prolonged and systematic. It should be aimed at eliminating its cause, relieving pain and inflammation.
Some of its types, including infectious ones, are treated only in a hospital. To eliminate the causes and depending on the origin of the disease, broad-spectrum antibiotics, antifungal drugs and analgesics are used.
In the treatment of reactive arthritis, the main task also remains the destruction of the infection that caused it. The most common cause is an intestinal or urogenital disease: chlamydia, salmonellosis, etc.
Gouty, rheumatic and psoriatic arthritis occurs against the background of exacerbation of chronic diseases of the same name, therefore, first of all, it is necessary to achieve stable remission. For this, special medications are used to treat these diseases, as well as physiotherapy methods and a special diet.
Treatment of rheumatoid disease includes drugs from the sulfonamide group and immunosuppressants. In treating this autoimmune disease, it is important to maintain precise medication doses. In severe cases of the disease, corticosteroids are used, hormonal medications that can slow the progression of rheumatoid arthritis, but have many side effects.
Osteoarthritis treatment
In the case of osteoarthritis, cartilage needs additional nutrition and restoration, so chondroprotective drugs containing chondroitin and glucosamine are often prescribed for treatment. This is the main pharmacological therapy prescribed to patients with this diagnosis.
At its initial stage, the main role is played by physiotherapeutic procedures: electrophoresis, magnetotherapy, as well as therapeutic exercises, diet and massage.
Which doctor should I contact?
If you have been diagnosed with osteoarthritis
If osteoarthritis is in the first stage, when the disease has not yet progressed, a local therapist or GP can provide treatment.
In the initial stage of this disease, the joint needs a better blood supply and increased production of synovial fluid. Additionally, as long as the disease has not progressed, it is necessary to strengthen the surrounding muscles and ligaments to stabilize the joint. Pharmacological treatment includes taking chondroprotectors, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and drugs that have a vasodilating effect. Therapeutic gymnastics, physiotherapy sessions and massages have proven effective. For overweight patients, a diet is recommended to reduce body weight and relieve the load on the joints.
The second and third degrees of osteoarthritis, in which degenerative-dystrophic changes are strongly expressed, are always monitored by a rheumatologist, arthrologist, orthopedic traumatologist and surgeon. Very often at these stages the process begins to progress rapidly and conservative treatment has only a symptomatic effect.
The last degree of the disease, in which the limb with the diseased joint may be completely immobilized, usually involves the need for surgical intervention and endoprostheses.
If you have been diagnosed with arthritis
In the case of arthritis, the list of treating doctors increases significantly, since there are many more causes for this disease. However, in this case, the first person to be examined should be the local therapist, who, based on the medical history, will determine which specialist should be contacted next.
Autoimmune pathologies such as systemic lupus erythematosus or rheumatoid arthritis are always managed by rheumatologists and immunologists. In the case of psoriasis, these doctors are joined by a dermatologist.
A vertebrologist specializes in diseases of the spine and treats patients with arthritis of the spine.
For rheumatism, consultation and observation of a cardiologist is required. If arthritis is caused by an intestinal or urogenital infection, the main treating specialist will be a gastroenterologist, urologist or gynecologist.
Prevention
First of all, women over 45 years old and men over 55 years old should think about the prevention of osteoarthritis and arthritis; It is at this time that hormonal changes begin in the body, the metabolism slows down and blood flow in the joints worsens. Preventive measures are especially relevant for those who have a hereditary predisposition to endocrine and metabolic disorders, autoimmune diseases and diseases of the musculoskeletal system.
Particular caution should also be taken with people whose work is closely related to physical activity that negatively affects the joints.
The main primary prevention measures are:
- body weight control - excess weight causes additional stress on the joints and the entire musculoskeletal system as a whole;
- a balanced diet that contains the correct balance of fats, proteins and carbohydrates, as well as vitamins, minerals, antioxidants;
- moderate physical activity: gymnastics, daily exercises, swimming, walking;
- abandon bad habits: alcohol and tobacco products alter the body's metabolism and suppress the immune system.
If symptoms of joint disease have already been detected, secondary prevention measures are applied:
- compliance with primary prevention measures;
- therapeutic exercises prescribed by a doctor and performed outside of exacerbation periods;
- use of special orthopedic devices: canes, insoles, bandages, corsets;
- ongoing pharmacological course or treatment;
- Periodic preventive examinations carried out by specialists.