Arthritis means inflammation of the joints in our body, clinically they present as pain, swelling, deformity, stiffness, and inability to function normally. Two of the most prevalent forms of arthritis are rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and osteoarthritis (OA).
Difference between Osteoarthritis and Rheumatoid Arthritis
when we spoke to Dr Sushanth B Mummigatti, Consultant Orthopaedic & Trauma Surgeon, Manipal Hospital, Goa, he said that osteoarthritis refers to the type of arthritis which occurs as a result of wear and tear of the cartilage in the joint (cushion in the joint) whereas rheumatoid arthritis occurs as a result of the autoimmune process leading to chronic inflammatory changes in the joint.
Typically, Osteoarthritis is seen in the elderly, it affects mostly the weight-bearing joints of the body. The most commonly affected joint is the knee joint and the most common symptom that the patient presents is pain on the inner border of the knee joint which aggravates weight bearing Rheumatoid arthritis begins early in life, initial presentation could be in 30-40 years age group, more commonly in females, usually has a family history of people suffering from similar joint pains on the maternal side, it typically affects small joints of the hand which can present as pain, swelling or deformity.. later other joints can also be involved.
If we look at their pathological process, in OA because of the wear and tear happening in the joint, the cartilage gradually thins out and later there could be a complete loss of the cartilage, and extra bones(osteophytes) are formed along the joint margins. Here the primary damage is in cartilage.
In RA, due to immune malfunction, the antigens in the joints are considered foreign by the body and an immunological response is generated, which results in hypertrophy of the synovium (inner layer in joints), which over a perilous of time enlarges and destroys the cartilage. Here the primary damage is at synovium.
Treatments for Osteoarthritis and Rheumatoid Arthritis
Treatment of both these conditions is different, primary treatment of RA is a medical line of management, if symptoms are less treatment is by pain medication and exercise. For long-term and severe symptoms patient might need specific DMARD medications and steroids.
In severe cases where deformity is severe, splinting and surgeries are needed.
OA is a primary treatment with lifestyle modification like regular exercise, weight reduction, and analgesics in the early stages. Advanced stages will require injections and surgeries.
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