Arthrosis and arthritis are diseases characterized by pathological changes in the joints, but there is a significant difference between arthritis and arthritis. To understand the difference between arthritis and arthrosis, the etiological factors, pathogenesis, and symptoms of arthritis and arthrosis must be taken into account. Arthritis and arthritis treatment also take a different approach.
What is arthritis, arthrosis? How are joint changes manifested in arthritis and arthrosis, what is the difference? In arthrosis and arthritis, the differences arise from the mechanism of occurrence of pathological changes.
The treatment of arthrosis and arthritis is long-term, multi-component. Often, as a result of premature treatment, arthritis and arthrosis can be considered consecutive stages of the pathological process. After understanding what arthritis and arthrosis are, let's define the differences between arthrosis and arthritis.
Arthritis, classification
Arthritis - due to inflammatory changes, it combines the pathology of the joints themselves and is a symptom of other diseases that occur with their defeat. The way to treat arthritis depends on finding the cause of the inflammatory process.
According to the etiological factor, there are:
- Primary - rheumatoid, rheumatoid arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, Still's disease, others.
- Secondary - complications of an infectious, non-infectious process (with reactive chlamydia infection, hepatitis, diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, septic lesions).
According to the number of affected joints:
- Monoarthritis - with the defeat of a single joint.
- Polyarthritis - when a group of joints is affected.
According to the nature of the course of the disease:
- Acute arthritis - with a vivid clinical picture of inflammatory changes in the connective tissue of the joint.
- Subacute - an intermediate option, the stage of solving the acute condition.
- Chronic arthritis - with a deleted clinical picture, a slow course, periods of weakening and exacerbation.
Osteoarthritis, classification
Deformative osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthrosis or arthrosis is a disease based on degenerative changes that involve the destruction of all joint structures, cartilage, ligaments, muscles, tendons and bones. This is the main difference between joint arthrosis and arthritis, which leads to irreversible deformation of the affected joint surfaces, dysfunction and disability of the patient.
- Idiopathic - no known cause. The pathological process is based on an autoimmune damage mechanism (primary rheumatoid arthrosis in young patients).
- Secondary osteoarthritis is the result of metabolic disorders, trauma and inflammation. For example, rheumatoid arthritis that developed after suffering from rheumatoid arthritis.
Arthritis, causes
Risk factors include:
- Violation of metabolic processes in the body.
- The factor of hereditary predisposition.
- Infectious diseases.
- Immune deficiency states, presence of autoimmune diseases, allergic manifestations.
- Increased load on the musculoskeletal system due to the traumatic component of the professional activity.
Arthrosis, causes
Risk factors for the development of osteoarthritis include:
- Circle. Osteoarthritis is a disease of the elderly, with the exception of rheumatoid arthritis, which occurs in adolescence. According to WHO statistics, about 10% of the world's population suffers from arthropathy.
- Physical overload, injury, excess weight, which increases the load on the joint. Large joints suffer more than others: hip - coxarthrosis, knee - gonarthrosis.
- Hereditary factor: characteristics of metabolic processes, cartilage tissue structure.
- Preventive inflammatory processes without adequate therapy.
Arthritis, symptoms
Regardless of the cause of the disease, the signs of the disease show a similar clinical picture in the acute phase of the process and in the period of exacerbation of the chronic course of the disease.
- Pain is the first symptom. It is of different intensity, more often constant, does not depend on physical activity.
- Hyperemia of the skin of the joint area, local temperature increase (the joint area becomes hot to the touch), pronounced edema.
- The presence of effusion (fluid) in the cavity of the joint bag. Microbiological and cytological examination of the fluid from the inflammatory cavity is important for diagnosis and establishing the root cause. The knee joints are more often affected. The inflammatory nature of the fluid inside the joint capsule is the difference between arthritis and arthrosis of the knee joint.
- Manifestations of the underlying disease outside the joints: fever, vascular damage - vasculitis, heart valves, lung disease - alveolitis, pneumonia, kidney damage - nephritis, skin manifestations, hematological changes - anemia, increase in the number of peripheral platelets.
- Limitation of the range of motion of the joint, dysfunction.
Osteoarthritis, symptoms
The symptoms of arthrosis are caused by long-term malnutrition and blood supply to the cartilage plate. The cartilage loses its elasticity and thins, while growths - osteophytes - form from the bone tissue inside the joint cavity, irreversibly deforming the joint surface, disrupting function, causing pain and significantly limiting mobility.
- Pain. The beginning of the disease is characterized by medium-intensity, painful, constant pain. The intensification of the pain syndrome is associated with an increase in dystrophic changes and deformities of the cartilage. The pain can be variable, it can be temporary: from stiffness in the morning to constant and easing during the day. A rapid, intense increase in pain is a bad prognostic sign.
- visible deformation.
- Functional disorders: bending, stretching.
- Characteristic crackle during movement.
- The development of joint immobility leads to disability in patients.
Osteochondrosis is a common pathological condition of the spine, which is based on the same cartilage changes as in arthrosis.
Diagnostics
The diagnosis of arthritis and arthrosis is aimed at identifying the root cause of the disease, determining the degree of activity of the process, assessing the prognosis and effectiveness of the treatment, and diagnosing complications of the disease in time.
The complex of diagnostic tests includes general clinical laboratory tests, liver and kidney tests, X-ray diagnostic measures, microscopic and bacteriological tests.
- Distinctive features of arthritis of various etiologies: an increase in the sedimentation rate of erythrocytes, an increase in the level of leukocytes in the peripheral blood, which makes it possible to determine the severity of inflammatory changes, an increase in C-reactive protein in the blood plasma - an important laboratory diagnostic test.
- X-ray examination allows you to see a characteristic picture of inflamed joint surfaces.
- MRI is the most informative method for detecting inflammatory changes inside the joint capsule.
- Doppler ultrasound is used.
- In difficult cases, arthroscopy can also be performed for differential diagnosis and treatment.
A fairly informative method that allows you to make a diagnosis, to distinguish between arthrosis or arthritis, is X-ray examination. Depending on the identified changes, the degree of deformation of the intra-articular cartilage and the width of the joint gap, we distinguish four degrees of pathological changes in arthrosis.
Arthritis, treatment principles
The treatment of arthritis is long-term, the main goal is to cure the disease causing inflammatory changes in the joint capsule or to achieve a long-term relapse-free course of the disease, to prevent the development of irreversible changes and deformities, and to improve quality. and life expectancy of patients.
It is widely used to treat:
- Medical methods of influence. Depending on the etiological factor, the following are used: antibacterial, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, hormones, introduction of anti-inflammatory drugs directly into the joint cavity, chemotherapy drugs are prescribed in severe forms of rheumatic disease.
- It is not a drug treatment. Physiotherapy exercises, adherence to diet, healthy lifestyle - quitting smoking, alcohol, physiotherapy, timely orthopedic care and correction of existing disorders, prevention of exacerbation of concurrent diseases play an important role.
- The surgical method is not the method of choice in treatment. It is a tool to help patients in particularly difficult cases - serious complications, severe pain syndrome, in case of ineffectiveness of the first two treatment methods. It has limitations and certain indications for appointment.
Osteoarthritis, treatment
Arthritis is treated in a rheumatoid complex, which includes:
- It is not drug therapy. In the case of rheumatoid arthrosis, the treatment includes physiotherapy exercises, physiotherapy, protective treatment, load reduction, weight loss, and weight loss.
- Medical treatment involves pain relief. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and hormonal drugs are prescribed more often.
- Surgical treatment methods: plastic surgery, arthrodesis, prosthetics of large joints (knee, hip).
Prevention of exacerbations
Due to the possibility of a prolonged, chronic course of the disease, the development of complications, regardless of the cause of their occurrence, patients are subject to constant or long-term observation, and rehabilitation measures must be taken, taking into account individual characteristics and nature. the illness.
Important preventive values:
- Treatment of inflammatory diseases of the locomotor system, a complex of rehabilitation measures after injuries.
- Load limitation, a healthy lifestyle, adequate and reasonable nutrition as a factor in the fight against overweight.
- Timely orthopedic correction of bone deformities acquired during life.
Remember that at the first signs of trouble, it is important to contact a professional in time. Late initiation of treatment increases the risk of possible negative consequences of the disease.