Complaining of joint pain, some patients are at risk of being diagnosed with "arthrosis", others with "arthritis".When they meet, exchange descriptions of their symptoms in a conversation, they suddenly come to the conclusion that there is only one disease, because it manifests itself almost identically in both cases!The question arises: what is the difference between arthritis and arthrosis?Indeed, many people confuse these diseases, but despite the similarity of symptoms, arthritis and arthrosis are different diseases, with important differences in the clinical course.In particular, understanding the cause, occurrence and development mechanism of the disease leads to effective therapy.
Arthritis and arthrosis: what do they have in common
The occurrence of arthritis and arthrosis can be caused by one factor or a combination of many reasons.Both diseases can develop, for example, under the influence of trauma or diabetes.In both cases, patients have degenerative-dystrophic changes in the articular cartilage, which causes severe pain and, in some cases, limitation of movement.The target of the disease is body joints and peri-articular tissues, in particular, the knee joint.Patients who sometimes give pain, take care of themselves, and without effective therapy, all their efforts are wasted.The patient loses his ability to work and instead acquires disability.
According to the accepted ICD-10 classification, arthritis and arthrosis are combined in one subgroup "arthropathy" - disorders that primarily affect peripheral joints (limbs).
Arthritis and arthrosis: differences
Sometimes it is impossible to determine the exact cause of these two diseases, but the results are the same: pain and stiffness are felt in the joint, swelling, swelling, redness, hyperemia of the skin on the affected area, etc.
The main difference is that if the direct cause of arthrosis is mechanical damage, excessive or disproportionate load on the joint apparatus, age-related changes, then arthritis manifests itself as an inflammatory process in the joint and peri-articular tissues.In arthrosis, the amount of blood is normal, other organs and systems are not damaged.In arthritis, the opposite picture is observed: specific proteins, increased ESR and leukocytes are detected in the blood.The pathological process involves the heart, kidneys and urinary system.
Another difference is that arthrosis primarily affects the knee and hip joints, which carry a large supporting stabilizing load.Arthritis favors the small joints of the hands, feet, and wrists, and less frequently affects the elbow, knee, and hip.
What causes arthritis?
Arthrosis is defined by experts as a non-inflammatory joint disease that has a chronic and progressive course.As a result of degenerative-dystrophic changes, articular cartilage is destroyed.Arthritis is often accompanied by inflammation of the synovial membrane of joints or ligaments (synovitis), which also contributes to the destruction of joint structures.
It is because of synovitis that osteoarthritis is called osteoarthritis in the English-language medical literature, the presence of an inflammatory process is indicated by the suffix "-itis".Although synovitis is not an integral part of arthrosis, it can occur without it.
It is believed that arthrosis is the fate of older people.Indeed, with age, the risk of joint damage steadily increases, but athletes are also at high risk of disease due to excessive physical exertion or poor technique, such as strength training.In addition, the destruction of the articular-ligamentous apparatus can cause:
- hereditary predisposition
- Congenital or acquired pathologies of joint development (dysplasia, separation of bone epiphysis, joint hypermobility, etc.),
- The presence of metabolic and hormonal disorders, such as diabetes mellitus,
- Overweight and obesity.
Danish scientists conducted a study of risk factors for primary osteoarthritis of the hip and knee joints.The results showed that genetic factors and the environment have different effects on large weight-bearing joints.As for the hip joint, the most important factors in the development of pathology are genetic (47%) and environmental (22%) components.At the same time, age and gender differences, especially after 50 years, as well as various environmental factors, are of great importance for the development of the same pathology in the knee joint.
Destruction of cartilage tissue can also develop as a result of inflammatory diseases of bones and joints (gout, rheumatoid arthritis, etc.).
What is arthritis?
Arthritis is commonly referred to as the whole 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 as a manifestation of other pathologies.In the first case, we are talking about rheumatoid, septic arthritis, gout.In the second - about psoriatic and reactive arthritis.The inflammatory process in the joints can also be the result of hepatitis, Lyme disease (borreliosis caused by ticks) or granulomatosis.
Rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune disease in which a person's immune system mistakenly attacks the body's own tissue.In this case, in addition to inflammatory reactions in other organs, inflammation of the synovial membrane of the joints occurs without the penetration of a microbial pathogen into it.The joint is swollen, painful and mobility is impaired.
Another form of arthritis is gout, a systemic disease due to faulty metabolism.Excess uric acid builds up on the joint surface, causing inflammation.Heredity, hormonal factors (in most cases men get sick) and wrong nutrition are of great importance for the development of the disease.Gout is often confused with arthrosis of the big toe.
The development of some types of arthritis is provoked by the penetration of pathogenic microorganisms into the joint space, most often bacteria.