Complaining of pain in the joints, some patients face the diagnosis of "arthrosis", others - "arthritis".When they meet, exchanging descriptions of their symptoms, 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 are the differences between arthritis and arthrosis?Indeed, many people confuse these diseases, but despite the similarity of symptoms, arthritis and arthrosis are different diseases with significant differences in the clinical course.Namely, understanding the cause of the disease, the mechanism of its origin and development leads to effective therapy.
Arthritis and arthrosis: what they have in common
The appearance of arthritis and arthrosis can be caused by either one factor or a combination of numerous causes.Both diseases can develop under the influence of, for example, injury or diabetes.In both cases, patients experience degenerative-dystrophic changes in the articular cartilage, which lead to severe pain and in some cases to limited mobility.The target of the disease is the joints and periarticular tissues of the body, especially the knee joint.Patients, sometimes overcoming pain, take care of themselves, and without effective therapy, all their efforts fail.The patient loses the ability to work and gets a disability instead.
According to the accepted ICD-10 classification, arthritis and arthrosis are combined into one subgroup "Arthropathy" - disorders that primarily affect peripheral joints (extremities).
Arthritis and arthrosis: the differences
Sometimes it is impossible to precisely determine the trigger that started one of these two diseases, but the consequences develop the same: pain and stiffness are felt in the joint, swelling, edema, redness, hyperemia of the skin over the affected area, etc.In reality, only a person without medical training can confuse these two completely different pathologies, but a doctor can easily separate one from the other.
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 periarticular tissues.In arthrosis, the blood count is normal, there is no damage to other organs and systems.In arthritis, the opposite picture is observed: specific proteins, increased ESR and leukocytes will be detected in the blood.The pathological process involves the heart, kidneys and genitourinary system.
Another difference is that osteoarthritis primarily affects the knee and hip joints, which carry a large supporting stabilizing load.Arthritis prefers the small joints of the hands, feet, and wrists, and less often affects the elbow, knee, and hip.
What causes osteoarthritis?
Experts define arthrosis as a non-inflammatory joint disease that has a chronic and progressive course.As a result of degenerative-dystrophic changes, joint cartilage is destroyed.Arthrosis is often accompanied by inflammation of the synovial membrane of joints or ligaments (synovitis), which also contributes to the increase in the destruction of joint structures.
It is precisely because of synovitis that osteoarthritis is called osteoarthritis in English-language medical literature, using the suffix "-itis" as an indicator of the presence of an inflammatory process.Although synovitis is not an integral part of arthrosis, it can occur without it.
Osteoarthritis is considered to be a common occurrence in older people.Indeed, with age, the risk of joint damage increases steadily, but athletes are also at high risk of disease due to excessive physical exertion or poor technique, such as strength exercises.In addition, the destruction of the articular-ligamentous apparatus can lead to:
- hereditary predisposition,
- congenital or acquired pathologies of joint development (dysplasia, separation of the 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 revealed that genetic factors and environment have different effects on large weight-bearing joints.When it comes to the hip joint, the most important factors for the development of pathology are genetic (47%) and environmental components (22%).Meanwhile, for the development of the same pathology in the knee joint, age and gender differences are of the greatest importance, especially after 50 years, as well as various environmental factors.
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 a whole spectrum of inflammatory joint diseases.If the disease affects one joint, it is monoarthritis;more than one is polyarthritis.Arthritis differs 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 a consequence of hepatitis, Lyme disease (tick-borne borreliosis) or granulomatosis.
Rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune disease in which a person's immune system mistakenly attacks tissue in their own body.In this case, in addition to inflammatory reactions in other organs, there is inflammation of the synovial membrane of the joints without penetration of the microbial pathogen into it.The joint swells, pain appears, and mobility is reduced.
Another form of arthritis is gout, a systemic disease due to improper metabolism.Excess uric acid is deposited on the joint surface, causing inflammation.Heredity, hormonal factors (men are more likely to get sick) and poor nutrition are of great importance for the development of the disease.Gout is often confused with arthritic lesions in the area 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.