It is common to hear about osteoarthritis and arthritis as if they were the same disease. Despite the fact that both osteoarthritis and arthritis affect mobile joints, causing a lot of pain, and even immobility in their more advanced phases, they are two different ailments with different origins and treatments.
Differences between osteoarthritis and arthritis
Arthritis is the consequence of inflammation. The synovial membrane, one of those that covers each joint, becomes inflamed causing the first discomfort. Subsequently, the membrane tissue grows abnormally and ends up attacking the surrounding bone and cartilage, causing injuries and pain.
Osteoarthritis has a degenerative component. It is the consequence of the wear of the cartilage that surrounds the head of the bones of each joint and that prevents them from rubbing against each other. When this happens, the bones involved rub against each other, the joint no longer flexes as easily and the friction itself generates deformations in the bones that make movement even more difficult and also cause pain.
Causes of arthritis
Although the exact causes of arthritis are not known, we do know that it is more common in women than in men and especially in those who have a family history. Doctors have identified some factors related to the development of arthritis:
- An infection, in any part of the body, caused by a fungus, virus or bacteria that later affects a joint, causing fever, pain and inflammation.
- Excess weight: it puts an overstrain on the joints, which can deform them.
- Failure of the immune system: the human body’s immune system is designed to defend it from external aggressions, but sometimes it fails and attacks the body’s own tissues. In the case of arthritis, it attacks the tissues of the joints.
Causes of osteoarthritis
As in arthritis, osteoarthritis is more common among women. There are several identified causes, although they do not explain all cases of osteoarthritis:
- Deterioration caused by age: cartilage tissue ages and does not perform its function correctly.
- Failure in one of the genes responsible for collagen, a fundamental part of cartilage. It is usually inherited.
- Old joint injuries.
- Excess weight: overexertion of knees and hips due to excess weight increases the risk of osteoarthritis.
- Excess repetitive work: a task repeated many times over time, and that involves significant effort for a joint, can be decisive in developing osteoarthritis.
Main symptoms of arthritis
Arthritis usually starts in the small joints such as those of the fingers, hands, and wrists. Movement is increasingly difficult and is accompanied by swelling and redness. It affects several joints at the same time and usually does so symmetrically, that is, the same joint on the left and right of the body.
Stiffness when getting out of bed or after being inactive for a long time is very characteristic. Seasons of remission of the disease, in which the patient does not suffer discomfort, can be combined with other less bearable times.
Main symptoms of osteoarthritis
The affected joints are usually those of the hands, spine, hips, knees and feet. Matches arthritis in morning stiffness.
With osteoarthritis, the joint becomes deformed and a crunch accompanies movements, which worsens the pain. The decrease in mobility can end up causing muscle atrophy.
Treatment of arthritis and osteoarthritis
There is no cure for arthritis or osteoarthritis, only palliative treatments to reduce pain and increase quality of life. These treatments can be pharmacological to reduce discomfort, surgical for the most serious cases, and palliative treatments through exercises and a personalized diet that will help slow down the disease and alleviate discomfort.
