The human musculoskeletal system is often affected by diseases such as arthritis and arthrosis.Because of the similar names, patients confuse these diagnoses, even though they actually have little in common.
Despite all the differences, only a specialist can accurately determine the disease after a series of examinations and tests, so you should not delay visiting the clinic at the first signs of joint pathology.Let's take a detailed look at the symptoms, specific development and treatment methods of arthrosis and arthritis.
Characteristics of the mechanism of disease development
Development of arthrosis
Arthrosis (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 growths ("salt deposits"), friction and cartilage trauma, replacement of joint tissues with connective or ossified ones.The disease develops slowly, gradually, and at the beginning only slight discomfort and crunching in the joint is felt.
Osteoarthritis is most common in older people, but professional athletes and people who have sustained injuries are also at risk.The disease usually affects one or more large joints.
Development of arthritis
Arthritis, unlike arthrosis, has an inflammatory nature and can occur in people of any age.This disease is systemic and can affect both joints and other human organs: heart, kidneys, nervous system.Arthritis manifests itself very clearly - even a non-specialist will notice it.
Most often, arthritis occurs against the background of an infectious or bacterial disease, but it can also be a sign of autoimmune pathologies.
If the inflammation in the joints is caused by the activity of pathogenic bacteria or infection, then the disease most often begins suddenly, can affect a large number of joints at the same time and includes both large and small joints in the process.
Both diseases can lead to acquired chronic pain, which is now considered an independent clinical syndrome.
Comparison of arthrosis and arthritis
| Comparative characteristic | Arthrosis | Arthritis |
|---|---|---|
| Age of cases | In most cases - 65-75 years | Any kind |
| Reason | Degenerative-dystrophic changes due to metabolic disorders, worsening blood supply to the joint | An inflammatory process caused by an infectious, bacterial or autoimmune disease |
| Affected joints | One or more large joints | A large number of joints, large and small, often symmetrically affected |
| Blood test results | The average statistics have not changed | An inflammatory process is detected, sometimes an increased value of the rheumatoid factor |
| Painful sensations | The pain increases, appears after physical exertion, 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 very beginning of the disease, the sensations are intense |
| External changes | In the early stages - no, in post-traumatic cases edema is possible | Sometimes there is redness of the skin over the joint, there may be swelling |
| Photo of the joint | Deformation, narrowing of the joint space, bone spikes, growths are observed;most often, X-ray diagnostics gives a clear picture of the changes occurring | In the initial stages, no changes are visible;in advanced cases, bone erosion and ankylosis are possible |
| Drug treatment | Preparations with chondroitin and glucosamine, symptomatically - NSAIDs, with rapid progression - corticosteroids. | Symptomatically - NSAIDs, sometimes - antibiotics, in autoimmune diseases - corticosteroids |
Reasons for the development of the disease
Causes of arthrosis
Arthrosis 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.Cartilage changes its structure, becomes rough and friction occurs.The main carriers of this disease are the elderly, whose metabolism in the body slows down with age, and overload, overweight and injuries are also felt.
The disease that occurs due to metabolic disorders is called primary arthrosis.
According to statistics, degenerative changes in the joints in most cases affect elderly women who are overweight.Most often, such patients have a genetic predisposition to diseases of this type.
In addition to advanced age, in rare cases, arthrosis can occur in middle-aged and even young people.The most common causes include:
- professional sports with heavy loads on the joints;
- heavy physical labor;
- advanced arthritis;
- previous injuries or operations.
In the cases listed above, arthrosis will be secondary.A predisposing factor for 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.In addition, the disease can be caused by systemic damage to the connective tissue.
Causes of arthritis
Arthritis, unlike arthrosis, has many different forms and manifestations that only an experienced specialist can distinguish.Each type has its own reason:
- Jet- occurs as a complication of infectious and bacterial infections, most often intestinal and genitourinary.
- rheumatoidis a distinct autoimmune disease that symmetrically affects the joints.
- Infectious- characterized by joint inflammation due to the activity of pathogenic bacteria and infections.Also, among the elderly population, you can find arthritis that appears against the background of viral hepatitis.
- Gout- manifests itself as a consequence of gout due to the accumulation of uric acid salts in the joint tissues.
- Psoriatic- a consequence of the manifestations of psoriasis, which is observed in approximately 10-15% of people with this diagnosis.
- Traumatic- can occur due to injury to the joint or peri-articular tissues.
- rheumatic- is a consequence of rheumatism, most often provoked by a streptococcal infection.
In addition, there are types of diseases that are characteristic only for children, for example, juvenile arthritis, which often occurs against the background of infection, fungal or bacterial disease.
Symptoms
Symptoms of arthrosis
Joint pain, which directly depends on the intensity of movement and physical activity, is the main symptom of arthrosis.The disease often occurs in the knee, hip and ankle joints.Small joints are rarely affected.
Discomfort and pain in this disease pass at rest and gradually increase when trying to move.Apart from the pain in the joint area, the patient is not bothered by anything else;no elevated body temperature, fever or joint swelling.Over time, with arthrosis, the crunching and clicking in the joints are heard more and more clearly and the movement is gradually limited.
Symptoms of arthritis
Prolonged inflammation of the joint can provoke arthrosis and, conversely, without appropriate 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 arthrosis.First, these diseases have different types of joint pain.In arthritis, pain is often independent of physical activity and may occur at rest or at 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 arthrosis by a number of other symptoms: general malaise, weakness, increased body temperature, involvement in the process of small joints (fingers, wrists).
A healing approach
Pain relief
In both arthritis and arthrosis, the main goal of drug treatment remains the relief of pain symptoms.According to research, the most effective are non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs based on phenylacetic acid, which are successfully used in the treatment of diseases of the musculoskeletal system.In addition, these NSAIDs have fewer side effects and complications than other drugs of the same spectrum.
The NSAID study is based on a drug from the phenylacetic acid derivative group, which has become a standard treatment for acute and chronic pain.The drug appeared more than 45 years ago, but during this time it has not lost its effectiveness even compared to the latest painkillers.
In addition, a study was published a few years ago in the medical journal Lancet that compared the effects of different non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs in the treatment of osteoarthritis.The most effective drug is from the group of derivatives of phenylacetic acid, which not only relieves pain, but also improves joint function.
In addition to nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, other drugs are used in the treatment of arthritis and arthrosis.
Treatment of arthritis
Correct treatment of arthritis is always complex, long-term and systemic.It should be aimed at eliminating the cause, relieving pain and inflammation.
Some of its types, including infectious ones, are treated only in hospital settings.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.Most often, the cause is an intestinal or urogenital disease: chlamydia, salmonellosis, etc.
Gout, rheumatic and psoriatic arthritis appear against the background of exacerbation of chronic diseases of the same name, so first of all it is necessary to achieve a stable remission.For this purpose, special medications are used to treat these diseases, as well as physiotherapeutic methods and a special diet.
Treatment of rheumatoid disease includes drugs from the sulfonamide group and immunosuppressants.In the treatment of this autoimmune disease, it is important to maintain accurate drug dosages.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 arthrosis
In the case of arthrosis, the cartilage needs additional nutrition and recovery, so chondroprotective drugs containing chondroitin and glucosamine are often prescribed for treatment.This is the main drug therapy prescribed to patients with this diagnosis.
In the initial stage, physiotherapeutic procedures play a major role: electrophoresis, magnetic therapy, as well as therapeutic gymnastics, diet and massage.
Which doctor should I contact?
If you are diagnosed with osteoarthritis
If the arthrosis is in the first stage, when the disease is not yet advanced, the local therapist or general practitioner can provide treatment.
In the initial stage of this disease, the joint needs improved blood supply and increased production of synovial fluid.In addition, until the disease has progressed, it is necessary to strengthen the surrounding muscles and ligaments to stabilize the joint.Medical treatment includes taking chondroprotectors, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and drugs that have a vasodilating effect.Therapeutic gymnastics, physiotherapy sessions and massages proved to be successful.In overweight patients, a diet is recommended to reduce body weight and relieve the load on the joints.
The second and third degree of arthrosis, in which the degenerative-dystrophic changes are highly 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 last stage of the disease, in which the limb with the diseased joint can be completely immobilized, usually implies the need for surgical intervention and endoprosthetics.
If you have been diagnosed with arthritis
In the case of arthritis, the list of treating doctors increases significantly, as there are many more causes of this disease.In this case, however, the first person 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 is a specialist in diseases of the spine and treats patients with arthritis of the spine.
In case of rheumatism, consultation and monitoring of a cardiologist is necessary.If the arthritis is caused by an intestinal or urogenital infection, the primary 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 arthrosis and arthritis - at that time hormonal changes begin in the body, metabolism slows down and blood circulation in the joints deteriorates.Preventive measures are especially suitable for those who have a hereditary predisposition to endocrine and metabolic disorders, autoimmune diseases and diseases of the musculoskeletal system.
Particular attention should also be paid to people whose work is closely related to physical activity that negatively affects the joints.
The main measures for primary prevention are:
- body weight control: excess weight provokes 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, antioxidants;
- moderate physical activity: gymnastics, daily exercises, swimming, walking;
- giving up bad habits: alcohol and tobacco products disrupt the body's metabolism and suppress the immune system.
If symptoms of joint disease are already detected, secondary prevention measures are applied:
- compliance with primary prevention measures;
- therapeutic exercises that are prescribed by a doctor and are carried out outside periods of exacerbation;
- use of special orthopedic means: canes, insoles, bandages, corsets;
- a course or long-term drug treatment;
- regular preventive examinations by specialists.