The human musculoskeletal system is often affected by diseases such as arthritis and arthrosis. Because of the same name, patients confuse this diagnosis, although in fact there is little similarity 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 the symptoms, specific developments and treatment methods of arthrosis and arthritis in detail.
Features of the mechanism of disease development
The development of arthrosis
Arthrosis (or osteoarthritis) is a chronic degenerative disease of the joints, most often caused by age-related changes in the body. Joint wear and tear requires degenerative processes: bone growth ("salt deposits"), friction and trauma to the cartilage, replacement of articular tissue with connective tissue or ossification. The disease develops slowly, gradually, at first only slight discomfort and irritation in the joints is felt.
Osteoarthritis occurs most often in older people, but professional athletes and people with injuries are also at risk. This disease usually affects one or more large joints.
The development of arthritis
Arthritis, unlike arthrosis, is inflammatory in nature and can occur in a person 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 non-specialists will notice it.
Arthritis most often occurs on the background of infectious or bacterial diseases, but can also be a sign of autoimmune pathology.
If 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 involves both large and small joints in the process.
Both diseases can cause acquired chronic pain, which today is considered an independent clinical syndrome.
Comparison of arthrosis and arthritis
| Comparative characteristics | Arthrosis | Joint pain |
|---|---|---|
| Case age | In most cases - 65-75 years | anywhere |
| reason | Degenerative-dystrophic changes due to metabolic disorders, deterioration of blood supply to joints | Inflammatory processes caused by infectious, bacterial or autoimmune spectrum diseases |
| Joints involved | One or more large joints | Most joints, large and small, are often symmetrically affected |
| Blood test results | Average statistical indicators did not change | An inflammatory process is detected, sometimes an increase in the value of rheumatoid factor |
| A painful sensation | The pain increases, appears after exercise, at the beginning of the disease there is only discomfort and cramping | Pain can appear immediately after sleep, often has a migratory nature, and from the beginning of the disease the sensation is intense. |
| External changes | In the early stages - no, in the case after trauma, swelling is possible | Sometimes there is redness of the skin over the joint, there may be swelling |
| Pictures of joints | Deformation, narrowing of the joint space, spine, growth can be detected; often, x-ray diagnostics give a clear picture of the changes that occur | In the early stages, no changes can be seen; in advanced cases, bone erosion and ankylosis are possible |
| Drug treatment | Preparations with chondroitin and glucosamine, symptomatically - NSAIDs, with rapid development - corticosteroids. | Symptomatically - NSAIDs, sometimes - antibiotics, for autoimmune diseases - corticosteroids |
Causes of disease development
Causes of arthrosis
Arthrosis is a chronic process and always develops slowly. The blood supply to the joints gradually declines, 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 also make themselves felt.
Diseases that occur as a result of metabolic disorders are called primary arthrosis.
According to statistics, degenerative changes in the joints in most cases affect older women who are overweight. Often, such patients have a genetic predisposition to this type of disease.
In addition to old age, in rare cases, arthrosis can occur in middle-aged and even young people. The most common reasons include:
- professional sports with heavy loads on the joints;
- hard physical labor;
- advanced arthritis;
- previous injury or surgery.
In the cases listed above, arthrosis will be secondary. A predisposing factor in the development of the disease is obesity. Sometimes this type of disease can be the result of damage to the nervous system, which leads to insufficient joint sensitivity. 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, which can only be distinguished by an experienced specialist. Each type has its own cause:
- Reactive- occurs as a complication of infectious and bacterial infections, often intestinal and genitourinary.
- Rheumatoidis a separate autoimmune disease that affects the joints symmetrically.
- Contagious- characterized by inflammation of the joints due to the activity of pathogenic bacteria and infections. Also among the adult population you can find arthritis that occurs against the background of viral hepatitis.
- Gout- manifests itself as a result of gout due to the accumulation of uric acid salts in the joint tissue.
- Psoriatic- as a result of the manifestation of psoriasis, which is observed in about 10-15% of people with this diagnosis.
- Traumatic- may occur as a result of injury to the joint or periarticular tissue.
- rheumatism- is a consequence of rheumatism, which is most often provoked by streptococcal infection.
In addition, there are types of diseases that are characteristic only of children, for example, juvenile arthritis, which often occurs against the background of infections, fungal or bacterial diseases.
symptoms
Arthritis symptoms
Joint pain, which directly depends on the intensity of movement and physical activity, is the main symptom of arthrosis. This disease often occurs in the knee, hip and ankle joints. Small joints are rarely affected.
Discomfort and pain with this disease pass during rest and gradually increase when trying to move. Apart from pain in the joint area, the patient is not worried about anything else; no high body temperature, fever or joint swelling. Over time, with arthrosis, throbbing and clicking in the joints are heard more clearly, and movement is gradually limited.
Symptoms of arthritis
Prolonged joint inflammation can trigger arthrosis and, conversely, without proper treatment of degenerative-dystrophic changes in the joint cavity, the inflammatory process can occur. The symptoms of arthritis are completely different from the symptoms of arthrosis. First, this disease has various types of pain in the joints. With arthritis, the pain is often independent of physical activity and may appear at rest or at night. Pain sensations can be paroxysmal, "flying", moving from one joint to another. Inflammation in this disease also extends to the periarticular tissue.
Secondly, arthritis can be distinguished from arthrosis by several other symptoms: general lethargy, weakness, increased body temperature, involvement of small joints (fingers, wrists) in the process.
Treatment approach
Relieves pain
For both arthritis and arthrosis, the main goal of drug treatment remains the relief of pain symptoms. According to research, the most effective is a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug based on phenylacetic acid, which is successfully used in the treatment of musculoskeletal diseases. In addition, these NSAIDs have fewer side effects and complications than other drugs in the same spectrum.
The study of NSAIDs is based on drugs from the group of phenylacetic acid derivatives, which have become the standard for the treatment of acute and chronic pain. The drug appeared more than 45 years ago, but at this time it has not lost its effectiveness compared to the latest painkillers.
In addition, a few years ago, a study was published in the Lancet medical journal comparing the effects of various non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs in the treatment of osteoarthritis. The most effective drugs are 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 in the treatment of arthritis and arthrosis.
Treatment of arthritis
Correct treatment of arthritis is always complex, long-term and systematic. It should be aimed at eliminating the cause, relieving pain and inflammation.
Some types, including infectious ones, are treated only in a hospital setting. To eliminate the cause and depending on the origin of the disease, broad-spectrum antibiotics, antimycotic drugs, and analgesics are used.
In the treatment of reactive arthritis, the main task also remains to destroy the infection that caused it. Often the cause is an intestinal or urogenital disease: chlamydia, salmonellosis, etc.
Gouty, rheumatic and psoriatic arthritis occurs against the background of exacerbation of the chronic disease of the same name, so first of all it is necessary to achieve a stable remission. For this purpose, special drugs are used to treat this disease, as well as physical therapy methods and a special diet.
Treatment of rheumatoid disease includes drugs from the group of sulfonamides and immunosuppressants. In the treatment of this autoimmune disease, it is important to maintain the correct dosage of the drug. 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, cartilage requires 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 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 arthrosis
If arthrosis is in the first stage, when the disease has not yet progressed, a local therapist or general practitioner can provide treatment.
In the early stages of the disease, the joints need better blood supply and increased production of synovial fluid. In addition, even if the disease has not progressed, it is necessary to strengthen the surrounding muscles and ligaments to stabilize the joint. Drug treatment includes taking chondroprotectors, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and drugs that have a vasodilator effect. Therapeutic gymnastics, physiotherapy sessions and massages have proven successful. For overweight patients, a diet is recommended to reduce weight and ease the burden on the joints.
The second and third stages of arthrosis, in which degenerative-dystrophic changes are very pronounced, are constantly monitored by rheumatologists, arthrologists, orthopedic traumatologists and surgeons. Often, at this stage the process begins to develop 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 fully moved, usually implies the need for surgical and endoprosthetic intervention.
If you have been diagnosed with arthritis
In the case of arthritis, the list of treating doctors increases significantly, because there are many more causes of this disease. However, in this case, the first person to be examined should be a local therapist, who, based on the medical history, will determine which specialist to contact 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 this doctor.
Vertebrologists specialize in diseases of the spine and treat patients with arthritis of the spine.
For rheumatism, consultation and observation of a cardiologist is required. If the arthritis is caused by an intestinal or urogenital infection, the primary treatment 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 - this is when hormonal changes begin in the body, metabolism slows down, and blood flow in the body. joints are getting worse. Preventive measures are especially relevant for those with a hereditary predisposition to endocrine and metabolic disorders, autoimmune diseases and diseases of the musculoskeletal system.
Special attention should also be shown to people whose work is closely related to physical activity that has a negative impact on the joints.
The main preventive measures are:
- weight control: excess weight puts additional pressure 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 exercise, swimming, walking;
- abandon 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 preventive measures are applied:
- compliance with primary prevention measures;
- therapeutic exercises, prescribed by the doctor and performed outside the period of exacerbation;
- use of special orthopedic devices: crutches, insoles, bandages, corsets;
- ongoing drug course or treatment;
- regular preventive checkups by specialists.