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 in reality there is little in common between them.
Despite all the differences, only a specialist can accurately determine the disease after a series of examinations and tests, so you should not delay going to the clinic at the first signs of joint pathology.Let's consider the symptoms, specific developments and methods of treatment of arthrosis and arthritis in detail.
Characteristics of disease development mechanism
Development of arthritis
Arthritis (or osteoarthritis) is a chronic degenerative disease of the joints, most commonly caused by age-related changes in the body.Joint wear entails degenerative processes: bone growth (“salt accumulation”), friction and injury to cartilage, replacement of joint tissues by connective tissues or ossification.The disease develops slowly and gradually, at first there is only mild discomfort and a crunching feeling in the joints.
Osteoarthritis is most 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 arthritis, is inflammatory in 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 is very obvious - even a layperson will notice it.
Arthritis is often caused by an infectious or bacterial disease, but can also be a sign of an autoimmune disease.
If the inflammation in the joints is caused by the activity of pathogenic bacteria or infection, it usually begins suddenly, can affect a large number of joints at once, and involves both large and small joints.
Both diseases can lead to chronic acquired pain, which is now considered an independent clinical syndrome.
Compare arthritis and arthrosis
| Comparative characteristics | Arthritis | Arthritis |
|---|---|---|
| Age of cases | In most cases - 65-75 years | any |
| Reason | Degenerative-dystrophy due to metabolic disorders, reduced blood supply to joints | The inflammatory process is caused by infectious, bacterial or autoimmune diseases |
| Related joints | One or more large joints | A large number of large and small joints are often affected symmetrically |
| Blood test results | The average statistical indicators do not change | Detects the inflammatory process, sometimes increases the value of rheumatoid factor |
| Painful feeling | The pain increases and appears after movement. At first, the disease only feels uncomfortable and crunching. | The pain can appear immediately after sleep, is often of a moving nature, and from the very beginning of the disease the feeling is very intense. |
| External changes | In the early stages - no, in case after injury there may be swelling | Sometimes the skin in the joint area becomes red and may be swollen |
| Image of the joint | Can monitor deformity, joint space narrowing, bone spurs, growth;Usually, X-ray diagnosis gives a clear picture of the changes occurring | In the early stages, no changes are seen;In severe cases, bone erosion and joint stiffness may occur |
| Drug treatment | Preparations with chondroitin and glucosamine, symptomatic - NSAIDs, rapidly progressing - corticosteroids. | Symptomatic - NSAIDs, sometimes - antibiotics, for autoimmune diseases - corticosteroids |
Cause of disease development
Causes of arthritis
Arthritis is a chronic process and always develops slowly.The blood supply to the joints gradually deteriorates, depriving the tissues of the necessary nutrition.Cartilage changes structure, becomes rough and friction occurs.Carriers of this disease are the elderly, the body's metabolism slows down with age, and overload, overweight, and injury also make you feel uncomfortable.
Diseases that occur due to metabolic disorders are called primary joint diseases.
According to statistics, degenerative changes in the joints in most cases affect overweight older women.Most often, such patients have a genetic predisposition to diseases of this type.
In addition to old age, in rare cases, arthritis can occur in middle-aged and even young people.The most common reasons include:
- professional sports with heavy loads on the joints;
- hard manual labor;
- progressive arthritis;
- previous injury or surgery.
In the cases listed above, arthritis will be secondary.A favorable 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 joint sensitivity.In addition, the disease can be caused by systemic damage to connective tissue.
Causes of arthritis
Arthritis, unlike arthritis, has many different forms and manifestations that only an experienced specialist can differentiate.Each type has its own causes:
- Jet plane- occurs as a complication of infectious and bacterial infections, most often of the intestinal and genitourinary tract.
- rheumatismis a distinct autoimmune disease that affects the joints symmetrically.
- infectious- characterized by arthritis caused by the activity of pathogenic bacteria and infections.In addition, among adults you can find arthritis that occurs due to viral hepatitis.
- gout- manifests as a consequence of gout due to the accumulation of uric acid salts in joint tissues.
- psoriasis- consequences of the manifestations of psoriasis, which are observed in about 10-15% of people with this diagnosis.
- injury- can occur due to injury to the joint or peri-articular tissue.
- rheumatism- is a consequence of rheumatism, often caused by streptococcal infection.
In addition, there are diseases that are unique to children, such as juvenile arthritis, which often occurs due to infections, fungal or bacterial diseases.
Symptom
Symptoms of arthritis
Joint pain, which depends directly on the intensity of movement and physical activity, is the main symptom of arthritis.The disease often manifests in the knee, hip and ankle joints.Small joints are rarely affected.
The discomfort and pain of this disease disappears when resting and gradually increases when trying to move.Besides pain in the joint area, the patient has no other worries;There was no elevated body temperature, fever or joint swelling.Over time, when you have arthritis, the joints make cracking and rattling sounds more and more clearly, and movement is gradually limited.
Symptoms of arthritis
Prolonged inflammation of the joints can cause arthrosis, and vice versa, 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 arthritis.First, these diseases have different types of joint pain.With arthritis, pain is often independent of physical activity and may occur at rest or at night.The pain can be severe, "flying", and move from one joint to another.Inflammation in this disease also spreads to the tissues around the joints.
Second, arthritis can be distinguished from joint disease by several other symptoms: general malaise, weakness, increased body temperature, involving small joints (fingers, wrists) in the process.
Treatment methods
Pain relief
For both arthritis and rheumatoid arthritis, the primary goal of drug treatment remains the relief of painful 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 have fewer side effects and complications than other drugs with the same spectrum of effects.
Research into NSAIDs is based on a drug from the phenylacetic acid derivative group, which has become the standard for treating acute and chronic pain.This drug appeared more than 45 years ago, but during this time, it has not lost its effectiveness compared to the latest pain relievers.
Additionally, several years ago, a study was published in the medical journal Lancet comparing the effects of various nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs in the treatment of osteoarthritis.The most effective drug is from the group of phenylacetic acid derivatives, which not only relieve pain, but also improve joint function.
In addition to nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, other drugs are used to treat arthritis and osteoarthritis.
Arthritis treatment
Proper treatment of arthritis is always complex, long-term and systematic.It should be aimed at eliminating its cause, reducing pain and inflammation.
Some types, including infectious diseases, are treated only in a hospital setting.To eliminate the cause and depending on the cause of the disease, use broad-spectrum antibiotics, antifungal drugs, and pain relievers.
In the treatment of reactive arthritis, the main task remains to destroy the infection that caused it.Usually the cause is intestinal or urinary tract disease: chlamydia, salmonellosis, etc.
Gouty, rheumatoid and psoriatic arthritis occur in the context of exacerbation of the chronic diseases of the same name, so it is necessary to first achieve stable remission.For this purpose, special drugs are used to treat these diseases, as well as physiotherapy methods and special diets.
Treatment of rheumatism includes sulfonamide drugs and immunosuppressants.In treating this autoimmune disease, it is important to maintain the correct dosage of medication.In severe cases, corticosteroids are used - hormonal drugs that can slow the progression of rheumatoid arthritis, but have many side effects.
Treatment of arthritis
In the case of osteoarthritis, cartilage needs nutritional supplementation and recovery, so cartilage-protecting drugs containing chondroitin and glucosamine are often prescribed for treatment.This is the main drug therapy prescribed for patients with this diagnosis.
In the early stages, the main role is played by physiotherapeutic procedures: electrophoresis, magnetic therapy, as well as therapeutic exercises, diet and massage.
Which doctor should I contact?
If you have been diagnosed with arthritis
If the joint disease is in the early stages, when the disease has not progressed, a local therapist or general practitioner can treat it.
In the early stages of this disease, joints need improved blood supply and increased production of synovial fluid.In addition, when the disease has not progressed, it is necessary to strengthen the surrounding muscles and ligaments to stabilize the joint.Drug treatment includes chondroprotective drugs, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, and vasodilators.Gymnastics, physical therapy and massage sessions have proven successful.For overweight patients, a diet should be applied to reduce body weight and reduce the burden on the joints.
The second and third degrees of joint disease, in which degenerative-dystrophic changes are strongly manifested, are always monitored by rheumatologists, rheumatologists, orthopedic traumatologists and surgeons.Usually, at these stages, the process begins to progress rapidly and conservative treatment is only effective in treating symptoms.
The final stage of the disease, in which the limb with the affected joint may be completely immobilized, often requires surgical and endoscopic intervention.
If you have been diagnosed with arthritis
In the case of arthritis, the list of treating doctors increases significantly, since there are many 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 to contact next.
Autoimmune diseases such as systemic lupus erythematosus or rheumatoid arthritis are always managed by rheumatologists and immunologists.In the case of psoriasis, a dermatologist will be added to these doctors.
A vertebrae specialist specializes in diseases of the spine and treats patients with spinal arthritis.
For rheumatism, consultation and observation by a cardiologist is required.If the arthritis is caused by an intestinal or genitourinary infection, the primary treatment specialist will be a gastroenterologist, urologist, or gynecologist.
prevent
First of all, women over 45 years old and men over 55 years old need to think about preventing joint diseases and arthritis - this is when the body begins to change hormones, metabolism slows down, and blood flow to the joints worsens.Preventive measures are especially suitable for people with a genetic predisposition to endocrine and metabolic disorders, autoimmune diseases and diseases of the musculoskeletal system.
Particular caution should also be exercised in people whose work closely involves physical activity that has a negative effect on the joints.
The main preventive measures are:
- control body weight: excess weight puts additional stress on the joints and the entire musculoskeletal system as a whole;
- a balanced diet that has the right balance of fats, proteins and carbohydrates, as well as vitamins, minerals, antioxidants;
- moderate physical activity: gymnastics, daily exercise, swimming, walking;
- give up bad habits: alcohol and tobacco products disrupt the body's metabolism and suppress the immune system.
If symptoms of joint disease have been detected, secondary prevention measures are applied:
- comply with primary prevention measures;
- Therapeutic exercises prescribed by a doctor and performed outside of an acute attack;
- use special orthopedic devices: canes, insoles, bandages, corsets;
- treatment with medication according to course or continuously;
- Regular preventive examinations by specialists.