The human musculoskeletal system is often affected by diseases such as arthritis and osteoarthritis. Due to the similarity of names, patients confuse these diagnoses, although in reality there is little commonality between them.
Despite all the differences, only a specialist can accurately determine the disease after a series of examinations and tests, so do not delay a visit to the clinic at the first signs of joint pathology. Let's consider in detail the symptoms, specific development and methods of treatment of osteoarthritis and arthritis.
Features of the mechanism of development of the disease
Development of osteoarthritis
Osteoarthritis (or osteoarthritis) is a chronic degenerative disease of the joints, which most often occurs due to age-related changes in the body. Wear and tear of the joint leads to degenerative processes: bone growth ("salt deposits"), friction and trauma to the cartilage, replacement of joint tissues by connective or ossified tissues. The disease develops slowly, gradually, at first only slight discomfort and crunching in the joint are felt.
Osteoarthritis is more common in older adults, but professional athletes and people with 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 the joints as well as other human organs: heart, kidneys, nervous system. Arthritis manifests itself very clearly - even a non-specialist will notice it.
Arthritis most often occurs in the context of an infectious or bacterial disease, but can also be a sign of autoimmune pathologies.
If joint inflammation is caused by the activity of pathogenic bacteria or infection, the disease most often begins suddenly, can affect a large number of joints at the same time and involves both large and small joints.
Both diseases can lead to acquired chronic 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 old | Any of them |
| Cause | Degenerative-dystrophic changes due to metabolic disorders, deterioration of 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, large and small, often affected symmetrically |
| Blood test results | Average statistical indicators have not changed | An inflammatory process is detected, sometimes an increased 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 sleep, 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 is possible | Sometimes there is redness of the skin at the joint, there may be swelling |
| Photo of the seal | Deformities, narrowing of the joint space, bone spurs, growths can be traced; most often, x-ray diagnostics give a clear picture of the changes occurring | In the early stages, no changes are visible; in advanced cases, bone erosion and ankylosis are possible |
| Medical treatment | Preparations based on chondroitin and glucosamine, symptomatically - NSAIDs, with rapid progression - corticosteroids. | Symptomatically - NSAIDs, sometimes - antibiotics, for autoimmune diseases - corticosteroids |
Causes of disease development
Causes of osteoarthritis
Osteoarthritis is a chronic process and always develops slowly. The blood supply to the joint gradually deteriorates, so the tissues do not receive the necessary nutrition. The cartilage changes its structure, becomes rough and friction occurs. The main carriers of this disease are elderly people, whose metabolism in the body slows down with age, and overloads, excess weight and injuries also make themselves felt.
The disease due to metabolic disorders is called primary osteoarthritis.
According to statistics, degenerative changes in the joints in most cases affect overweight older 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;
- heavy physical labor;
- advanced arthritis;
- previous injuries or surgeries.
In the cases listed above, osteoarthritis will be secondary. Obesity is a predisposing factor for the development of the disease. Sometimes this type of disease can be the consequence of damage to the nervous system, leading to insufficient sensitivity in 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- occurs as a complication of infectious and bacterial infections, most often intestinal and genitourinary.
- Rheumatoidis a distinct autoimmune disease that affects joints symmetrically.
- Infectious- characterized by inflammation of the joints due to the activity of pathogenic bacteria and infections. Among the adult population, you can also find arthritis that occurs against the background of viral hepatitis.
- Gouty- manifests itself as a consequence of gout due to the accumulation of uric acid salts in joint tissues.
- Psoriatic- a consequence of the manifestations of psoriasis, observed in approximately 10 to 15% of people with this diagnosis.
- Traumatic- may occur due to damage to articular or periarticular tissues.
- Rheumatic- is a consequence of rheumatism, most often caused by a streptococcal infection.
In addition, there are types of diseases characteristic only of children, for example, juvenile arthritis, which often occurs against the background of infection, fungal or bacterial disease.
Symptoms
Symptoms of osteoarthritis
Joint pain, which directly depends on the intensity of movements and physical activity, is the main symptom of osteoarthritis. The disease often manifests itself in the knee, hip and ankle joints. Small joints are rarely affected.
The discomfort and pain associated with this condition disappears at rest and gradually increases when you try to move. Apart from pain in the joints, the patient does not worry about anything else: there is no increase in body temperature, fever or swelling of the joints. Over time, with osteoarthritis, cracking and clicking noises in the joints are heard more and more clearly and movements are gradually limited.
Arthritis Symptoms
Prolonged inflammation of the joint can cause osteoarthritis, and, conversely, without proper treatment of degenerative-dystrophic changes in the joint cavity, an inflammatory process may occur. The symptoms of arthritis are completely different from the signs of osteoarthritis. First, these diseases cause different types of joint pain. In arthritis, pain is often independent of physical activity and may appear at rest or at night. Painful sensations can be paroxysmal, "flying", moving from one joint to another. The inflammation in this disease also extends to the periarticular tissues.
Secondly, arthritis is distinguished from osteoarthritis by a number of other symptoms: general malaise, weakness, increased body temperature, damage to small joints (fingers, wrists) in the process.
Therapeutic approach
Pain relief
For both arthritis and osteoarthritis, the main goal of drug treatment remains the relief of pain symptoms. According to research, the most effective are nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs based on phenylacetic acid, which are successfully used in the treatment of musculoskeletal diseases. In addition, these NSAIDs cause fewer side effects and complications than 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 reference 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 compared to newer painkillers.
Additionally, several years ago, a study was published in the Lancet medical journal comparing the effects of various 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 nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, other medications are used in the treatment of arthritis and osteoarthritis.
Arthritis treatment
Proper treatment of arthritis is always complex, long-term and systematic. It should aim to eliminate its cause, relieving pain and inflammation.
Some of its types, especially infectious, are treated only in a hospital setting. To eliminate the causes and depending on the origin of the disease, broad-spectrum antibiotics, antimycotics and analgesics are used.
In the treatment of reactive arthritis, the main task also remains the destruction of the infection that caused it. The cause is most often an intestinal or urogenital disease: chlamydia, salmonellosis, etc.
Gouty, rheumatic and psoriatic arthritis occur against the background of an exacerbation of chronic diseases of the same name. It is therefore first necessary to achieve stable remission. For this purpose, special drugs are used to treat these diseases, as well as physiotherapy methods and a special diet.
Treatment of rheumatoid disease includes drugs from the group of sulfonamides and immunosuppressants. In treating this autoimmune disease, it is important to maintain accurate dosages of medications. In severe cases of the disease, corticosteroids are used - hormonal drugs that can slow the progression of rheumatoid arthritis, but have many side effects.
Treatment of osteoarthritis
In the case of osteoarthritis, the cartilage needs additional nutrition and restoration, therefore chondroprotective drugs containing chondroitin and glucosamine are often prescribed for treatment. This is the main drug treatment prescribed for patients with this diagnosis.
At the 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 its early stages, and the disease has not yet progressed, a local therapist or general practitioner can offer treatment.
In the initial stage of this disease, the joint needs a better blood supply and increased production of synovial fluid. Additionally, even if the disease has not progressed, it is necessary to strengthen the surrounding muscles and ligaments in order to stabilize the joint. Drug treatment includes taking chondroprotectors, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and drugs with a vasodilator effect. Therapeutic gymnastics, physiotherapy sessions and massages have proven themselves well. For overweight patients, a diet is recommended to reduce body weight and ease 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. Most often, at these stages, the process begins to progress rapidly, and conservative treatment has only a symptomatic effect.
The final degree of the disease, in which the limb with the diseased joint may be completely immobilized, usually involves the need for surgery 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 other causes of 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, a dermatologist is added to these doctors.
A vertebrologist specializes in spinal diseases and treats patients with arthritis of the spine.
For rheumatism, consultation and observation of a cardiologist are necessary. 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 and men over 55 should think about the prevention of osteoarthritis and arthritis - this is when hormonal changes begin in thebody, metabolism slows down and blood flow in the body begins. joints get worse. 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 given to 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 right balance of fats, proteins and carbohydrates, as well as vitamins, minerals and antioxidants;
- moderate physical activity: gymnastics, daily exercises, swimming, walking;
- give up bad habits: alcohol and tobacco products disrupt the body's metabolism and weaken the immune system.
If symptoms of joint disease have already been detected, secondary prevention measures apply:
- compliance with primary prevention measures;
- therapeutic exercises, prescribed by a doctor and practiced outside periods of exacerbation;
- use of special orthopedic devices: canes, insoles, bandages, corsets;
- ongoing medication course or treatment;
- regular preventive examinations by specialists.