What is the difference between arthritis and joint disease?

The question of joint diseases is always relevant. After forty years, about one-third of people begin to experience pain when moving, and after fifty years, more than half begin to experience pain. The gradual destruction of the cartilage, ligaments, bones, and soft tissues surrounding joints is collectively referred to by doctors as "osteoarthritis. "How to prevent this? What treatments can help relieve pain when the disease has progressed? To answer these questions, you first need to understand the difference between arthritis and arthropathy, the most common joint disorders.

What is arthritis?

The main difference between arthritis and joint disease can be seen from the names: acute and sudden diseases end in "-itis"; "-from" - diseases with a slow and chronic course.Arthritis is an inflammatory condition of the joints that occurs due to immune system dysfunction due to infection (such as sore throat or otitis media), trauma, metabolic disorders, hypothermia, stress, or other causes (even autoimmune).The first sign is this:

• Severe pain in one or more joints (usually not only during exercise), especially in the early morning;
• Joint pain, swelling, edema, and redness;
• The temperature of the inflammatory site increases significantly.

The inflammatory process caused by arthritis affects the entire body. In this case, the patient experiences high temperatures, chills, loss of strength, and may experience inflammation of other organs (eyes, genitourinary system, and even heart, lungs, liver, and kidneys).

Arthritis comes in dozens of forms. The most common of these are:

• Rheumatism– Inflammation of the connective tissue of large and medium-sized joints that occurs after infection;
• Rheumatoid Arthritis– A slow autoimmune process that affects multiple joints symmetrically and simultaneously; leading to "nodules", pain, loss of mobility; can cause inflammation of many organs;
• gout– Caused by the accumulation of uric acid in the blood and salt in the joints; the most common symptom is severe pain in the big toe joint;
• reactive arthritis– Occurs against the background of damage to the body caused by infection (chlamydia, strep, etc. );
• septic arthritis– Starts due to bacterial infection of the joint itself.

What is joint disease?

Unlike arthritis, arthropathy is not accompanied by an inflammatory process. It causes poor blood circulation in the joints, causing the cartilage portion to begin to dry out.Arthropathy is a disease that deforms and destroys joint tissue. With it, the connecting layer becomes dehydrated, thins and "wears out". The bones begin to touch each other, which can cause pain and make it difficult to move. Symptoms of joint arthritis include:

• After a long period of inactivity (e. g. , a night's rest), the joints "freeze" but develop rapidly when activity resumes;
• The movement of the joints is accompanied by strange sounds (clicking, crunching, grinding);
• Physical activity can cause pain.

What is the difference between arthritis and joint disease?

Both diseases affect the joints. But their causes are different, their processes are different, and they can lead to very different results. Only by making a correct diagnosis based on the difference between arthritis and joint disease can irreparable damage to the body be prevented.It takes time for cartilage tissue degeneration to fully develop and bone deformation to begin. Therefore, chronic joint disease usually appears in old age (after the age of 60 and less commonly after the age of 50). The joints most susceptible to changes are those joints that are constantly working under load: the fingers of musicians, the knees of athletes and loaders, the ankles of people who often walk or stand for work, etc.

In contrast, arthritis can occur even in children. The inflammatory process leads to lesions of the synovium, which is filled with blood vessels and joint fluid (whereas arthropathy simply produces insufficient amounts). Unfortunately, almost one in five cases of disability in the world is caused by various forms of arthritis and complications.

Inflammation affects not only the joints, but also other tissues with active blood circulation: blood vessels as well as the heart, lungs, abdominal organs, eyes, urinary system, etc. Arthropathy, on the other hand, is limited by local mechanical damage to the bone and osteophyte formation in areas of joint deformation. Even in its advanced and advanced stages, the disease can cause disability, leaving a person completely unable to move a limb.

How do arthritis and joint disease manifest?

Let us clearly explain the difference between the symptoms of arthritis and arthrosis by comparing the external manifestations.

1. pain. In the initial stages of arthropathy (lasting for several years), joint pain occurs during physical activity and disappears after rest. It's rarely sharp and solid. Even as the disease progresses, pain may occur with even slight movement or even at rest, and often simply getting the body into a comfortable position is enough to relieve the pain. With arthritis, patients are plagued by severe pain that can only be relieved by special medications. A typical symptom is pain at rest, especially in the early morning.
2. Clicking, grinding, or crunching sounds from the joints. In joints affected by arthrosis, the cartilage layer is destroyed. They no longer protect the heads of bones from touching each other. Therefore, as they move, the bones touch and rub against each other, making a rough, dry sound. The more advanced the disease is, the stronger and louder the clicking sound in the joints becomes. Arthritis is usually not associated with such symptoms.
3. Deformation of joints and surrounding tissues. Over time, the presence of arthropathy causes changes in the shape of the bones: the heads begin to break and wear, and osteophytes may appear. Swelling and soreness sometimes occur during the acute phase, but these symptoms are not permanent. But joints affected by arthritis can become inflamed and swollen. Swelling and compaction occur. The skin becomes red and warm.
4. Can not move. Osteoarthritis causes stiffness in certain joints that disappears with movement. In deeper stages, stiffness increases and flexion amplitude decreases, ultimately leading to immobility. When you have arthritis, you may feel stiffness all over your body, and trying to move causes severe pain.
5. changes in blood composition. Arthropathy is not an inflammatory disease and therefore was not reflected in the analysis. Arthritis causes a significant increase in the erythrocyte sedimentation rate, which indicates active infectious and inflammatory processes.

Therefore, early joint symptoms rarely cause severe anxiety and discomfort. This can lead to a careless attitude and late diagnosis of the disease, which means further treatment becomes complicated.

Causes of Osteoarthritis

Several factors increase the risk of pathological changes in the joints and surrounding tissues: persistent overload, imbalances in the immune and hormonal systems, poor body shape. Therefore, to prevent illness, you need to follow the following recommendations regularly:

1. Maintain moderate physical activity through simple exercise, walking, swimming, etc. This will help you shed excess pounds, improve blood circulation, and strengthen muscles, thereby reducing stress on your joints.
2. Try to eat healthy food. Fatty foods, red meat, and alcohol can be harmful. Instead, seafood, fruits and vegetables, and dishes containing cartilage and gelatin will be beneficial. It is important to drink plenty of clean water (2-3 liters per day).
3. Choose the right clothes and shoes: high heels that are comfortable, warm enough, and don’t restrict movement.
4. If possible, avoid stress, distractions, and other "shocks" to the body.

However, if a person has been diagnosed with arthritis or joint disease, you should consult a doctor before performing such a simple action. In some cases, routine prevention can also cause harm and worsen the condition. But how are arthritis and joint disease treated? what is the difference? The causes of these conditions vary: in the first case, immune processes, fighting infections, in the second case, chondrodystrophies. Therefore, the way they are handled will also differ. To choose the right course of action, you must first make an accurate diagnosis.

For this purpose, radiography and MRI are best performed in conjunction with laboratory blood and urine tests. After studying the results, the doctor will make appropriate recommendations.

arthritis treatment

If the acute form of the disease is caused by an infection, it can be cured with antibiotics. But in this case, it is important to choose the drug accurately: it is necessary to neutralize the pathogenic bacteria before the joint pathology becomes irreversible. The course is supplemented with anti-inflammatory and immune-supportive medications.For chronic arthritis, such as rheumatoid arthritis, treatment must be given regularly throughout life. The most commonly used are corticosteroids, cytostatics and modern biologics. These are very powerful drugs, so in order to ensure that they do not cause harm to the body, it is crucial to correctly calculate the dosage, frequency, and timing of use.For severe pain, your doctor may also prescribe a course of pain relievers. And corresponding support methods must be recommended: diet, physical therapy and a course of physical therapy. If the inflammation has spread to other organs, the patient must be referred for additional specialized testing.

Treatment of Arthropathy

Modern methods can almost completely eliminate the manifestations of the disease if diagnosed at an early stage and the patient is under forty years of age. For this purpose, in addition to standard monitoring of joint pressure and a course of medications (which initiate regeneration, restore nutrition and hydration of cartilage), patients can also be prescribed mud packs, electrophoresis and sound therapy (which affects the affected joints). Tissues with low-frequency sounds).In older or terminally ill patients, arthropathy cannot be completely cured, although it can significantly improve the condition and slow the process of joint destruction. This requires strict compliance with the doctor's recommendations: regular use of medications (for example, chondroprotectants), maintenance of a healthy lifestyle, timely completion of prescribed procedures, monitoring of joint loads.In arthropathy, the main focus is on the restoration of the cartilage layer. If accompanied by symptoms of the inflammatory process, antibiotics or corticosteroids can be prescribed to relieve the acute phase and continue the main treatment regimen. In some severe cases, surgery or even the implantation of an artificial joint may be required.