Arthritis - joint inflammation.However, this is a simplified formulation.In fact, the term "arthritis" combines more than 200 diseases and rheumatic conditions that affect the joints surrounding tissues.Arthritis also means any disorder that affects the joints.
Arthrosis is ill from 10 to 15 % of the world's population.With age, the risk of osteoarthritis increases significantly.Often, the symptoms of osteoarthritis are already found in 30-40 years.27% of people over 50 suffer from osteoarthritis.And after 60 years, almost everyone suffers from this disease.The frequency of osteoarthritis is the same between men and women.The exception is the osteoarthritis of the interphalangeal joints: this type of osteoarthritis is most frequently found in women.
The causes and nature of the disease can be different.Arthosis can be developed for rheumatic reasons.This applies to people with chronic rheumatism.Diseases sometimes occur complete "sets": osteoarthritis is accompanied by rheumatism, varicose veins with thrombosis, vascular sclerosis, stroke, etc.Everything in the body is interconnected.Arthosis can also be an autoimmune disease.This means that the immune system, whose purpose is the protection of you of viruses and bacteria, suddenly begins to attack healthy cells.The mystery of why the body begins to attack itself is not yet revealed.
But even so, more frequently, osteoarthritis is a sign of rheumatoid arthritis, and represents destructive changes in cartilage and bone tissue that occur with age as a result of natural aging.Eloquence and statistics.Upon reaching 60-70 years, osteoarthritis is diagnosed in 60-70% of people.The words "osteoarthritis" and arthritis are similar only phonetically, but the causes are completely different and, consequently, the treatment as well.By highlighting the differences in osteoarthritis and arthritis, it is important to perform a different direction in which there is a destructive and deform process.If it has osteoarthritis, then the metabolism in the joint is disturbed, its elasticity is lost, the cartilage is thinner and each movement causes pain.If you have arthritis, then your immune system has taken the articulation, your body works against its tissue and this becomes the cause of inflammation, pain and changes that are deform.It is important to understand this, because it determines the treatment.While autotritis will be suppressed by autoimmune processes, the mechanical recovery of the joint will be the main objective for the treatment of patients with osteoarthritis.
The first blow is given by the knee joints, the articles of the elbows, the hands.Therefore, the osteoarthritis of the knee joint is more common.Over time, a deforming osteoarthritis occurs, the joints begin to deform, due to the curvature, the affected places can take strange contours.There are, in particular, terms such as "Swan Neck", "Button Loop."If a person has deforming osteoarthritis and the fingers are affected, then outwards it can be shortened.
Deforming osteoarthritis is a disease of modernity, a sedentary lifestyle took us to it.Nature was destined to live differently, but by automating processes, a person "won" many sores with which people pay for all the benefits received.The deformation of osteoarthritis affects, as a rule, support for the joints.The osteoarthritis of the knee joint is explained, because its characteristic, unlike other joints in large loads it transports.Nature did not particularly deal with the nutrition of such places overloaded with work.And since the cartilage of the knee joint does not have its own vessels, as a result of aging or under the influence of infections or injuries, it can be atrophy.
There are about 200 different types of arthritis, all of them have a different nature, can be caused by several external or internal factors, but their goal is one: our joints.To better understand the relevance of the problem, we give several sad numbers:
- About 21% of the population of the planet suffers arthritis,
- 31% of the arthritis that suffers cannot work,
- One of the 250 children under 18 suffers from arthritis,
- Of all cases of disability, 18% fall on arthritis,
- Arthritis losses amounted to 1.2% of the Gross Domestic Product 2003.
Attempts to overcome the situation are in vain, the numbers get worse from year to year.It is predicted that by 2030, 25% of the world's population will already suffer arthritis in one degree or another.
Symptoms
Arthritis can develop slowly or may arise suddenly.The joint pain may appear, disappear and reappear.In this sense, arthritis is quite plastic, but it is impossible to confuse it with another disease.Here are its main symptoms:
Pain.It can be constant or coming, silly and sharp.It can occur at rest or during movement, appear in an articulation or in different joints.
Edema.Most of the time, the affected joint is swollen, warm to the touch, sometimes the redness of the skin is observed.Edema lasts three days or more, then passes.It can occur periodically, for example, two or three times a month.
Rigidity.The classic symptom of arthritis that occurs in the morning or during long rest periods: sit in a chair, ride a car, etc.
These symptoms can be light, medium or severe.They can remain the same for many years, they can begin to progress.Severe arthritis is a chronic pain and inability to participate in any physical work.
Over time, arthritis can lead to irreversible and visible changes in the joints.They can be knotted, limbs, crooked.More often you can see the damage only in X -rays.Some types of arthritis affect the heart, eyes, lungs, kidneys and skin.
Location: What is the difference between arthritis and osteoarthritis?
Both diseases can affect any joint, but in most cases the location of the pathology can indirectly indicate its nature.So, for example, arthritis has "damage joints" and "exceptional joints", depending on the prevalence of the disease.
First, arthritis is surprised:
- World bracelet worlds and metacarpal flag joints;
- Proximal intermalanic joints;
- knee and ankle;
- In particular, the articulations of the thumbs;
- elbow joints.
Difference of arthritis and osteoarthritis
The lesions can be symmetric (rheumatoid arthritis) and asymmetric (psoriatic and others).
Arthrosis chooses the support joints that anatomically experience a great load.These include:
- knee;
- Parleen-Falánxis Juntas Juntas;
- Distal fingers of the fingers;
- hip;
- ankle;
- Intervertebral.
What is the difference between arthritis of the arthrosis of the joints in the diagnosis?
The primary diagnosis of arthritis and osteoarthritis implies a visual examination and the palpation of the joints that have become a source of complaints.A previous disease, injuries can also give a track.
An exhaustive analysis of blood and urine can establish the difference between arthritis and osteoarthritis.You can establish the presence of bacterial pathogens, a higher level of leukocytes, the rapid settlement of red blood cells and other inflammation markers (for example, a rheumatoid factor. If the result is "clean", other studies are prescribed.
X -rays for osteoarthritis shows the narrowing of the joint space, the thinning of the cartilage layer, as well as, depending on the stage of the disease, the presence of osteophytes.With arthritis, no visible changes are observed.
In diagnosis, hardware research methods (ultrasound, TC, MRI) and minimally invasive interventions (arthroscopy) can be used.
Arthritis diagnosis
What is the difference in the treatment of arthritis and arthrosanny with forecasts?Arthosis is always incurable: this is a chronic disease and can only be restricted.Arthritis can be chronic (rheumatoid, idiopathic, psoriatic) and a transitory (infectious) phenomenon.
Consider in more detail the fundamental characteristics and differences in the therapy of these diseases.
These are the main types of this disease, depending on the provocative factors:
- Inflammatory arthritis
- Degenerative arthritis
- Infectious arthritis
- Metabolic arthritis
It is known that the immune system is our defender.It is she who generates inflammation to save the body of the infection.Sometimes, in the operation of the immune system there is malfunction.One of them is the attack of their own joints and, as a result, inflammation.Most of the time, this leads to erosion and damage to the joints and tissues around it.
Inflammatory arthritis includes very commonrheumatoidANDPsoriaticarthritis.Doctors believe that the main reason for their occurrence lies in genetics.External factors also play an important role.For example, smoking can cause rheumatoid arthritis in people with certain genes.
With inflammatory arthritis (autoimmune), early diagnosis and aggressive treatment are crucial.The deceleration in minimized disease or even prevents irreversible damage to the joints.
By the name it is clear that it is caused by the degradation of the articulation, more precisely, its cartilage.As a result, the cartilage becomes thinner or generally disappears, the bone begins to rub the bone, which causes edema, pain, greater immobility of the joint.To compensate for the loss of cartilage, the body begins to rebuild the bone in an attempt to restore stability, bone growths are developed: osteophytes that force the joint to deform.
In the risk group there are athletes involved in great physical work and aging people.Risk factors also include excess weight, genetic predisposition, experienced trauma.
Inflammation of the joints caused by infections: bacteria, viruses, fungi.Examples of microorganisms capable of being located in the joints are: salmonella, chlamydia, gonorrhea, hepatitis C
However, modern antibiotic treatment destroys infection, with late treatment, damage to the joint can become irreversible and the disease becomes chronic.
Acute joint disease caused by a high level of uric acid in the body.It is formed in the digestive system, as a product of cultivation purines.They are rich in foods such as liver, anchovies, sprats, beer, legumes, etc.
In a healthy organism, uric acid dissolves in the blood, enters the kidneys and is excreted from the body in the urine.In some people, uric acid content is higher than usual.This condition is called hyperuricemia.
Uric acid can accumulate in the joints, forming sharp needle crystals, which causes serious pain calleddrop.Gota may appear episodically depending on the level of uric acid, or can enter a chronic form.
Crystallization is a physical process depending on temperature.The lower the crystallization process is faster.This explains the fact that the gout most frequently affects the most "cold" of the limbs, such as a thumb in the arm or leg.
If you read the first part of the article, you probably noticed that degenerative arthritis is very similar to osteoarthritis.This is true!This is the same disease that has another name -osteoarthritis(osteoarthrosis).
It was this type of arthritis that was generalized.About 12% of the adult (more than 25 years) of the planet's population suffer.Knee joint osteoarthritis is one of the five main causes of disability.Among the arthritis that arthritis suffers, there are 60%, men of 40%.
Treatment of arthritis and osteoarthritis.
In the treatment of arthritis and osteoarthritis, different methods are used.First, you should consult a doctor to clarify the diagnosis.The best results of the diagnosis of joint disease are given by radiography and magnetic resonance.Along with this, the doctor also prescribes the necessary laboratory tests.
It is necessary to limit the axial load in the joints.The treatment of the disease is carried out in two directions: elimination of the inflammatory process, the restoration of the cartilage and the ligament tissue.Therapeutic physical education, orthopedic regime, therapeutic diet, physiotherapy are used: for osteoarthritis -artritis, thermal and ultrasonic procedures, electrophoresis, magnetotherapy, amplipulse therapy, paraffin applications are used.An intra -articular administration of hyaluronic acid preparations is also possible: this is one of the most important components of the synovial fluid.It provides hyaline intra -articular cartilage nutrition, which does not have its blood vessels, reduces friction between the joint surfaces of the bones and provides softness of the movement (peculiar intra -articular lubrication).
Prevention

Most of the time, arthritis has a slow and chronic character.It is almost impossible to completely eliminate the cause of the disease.Therefore, your treatment is more likely to be the nature of the fight against symptoms (for example, with pain).It is not possible to completely restore the function of the Board.
At the same time, arthritis prevention is quite simple: it is a moderate physical activity and track its own weight.Then, 6 kg weight loss.It reduces the risk of developing knee joint osteoarthritis in a woman by 50%.Moderate physical activity (3 times a week) reduces the risk of osteoarthritis in older people by 47%.