Arthritis and arthrosis( joint diseases) - Causes, symptoms and treatment. MF.

Arthritis

Arthritis is commonly referred to as joint inflammation( the name "arthritis" comes from the Greek word arthron, which means "joint").Arthritis can have traumatic, infectious and dystrophic origin.

The defeat of one( arthritis) or several joints( polyarthritis) is a symptom of other diseases. Arthritis often occurs with repeated light injuries, open or closed joint damage. Arthritis can develop with frequent physical overstrain and hypothermia. Various infections( eg, intestinal or urinary) can also cause arthritis, called reactive. There is also rheumatoid arthritis, in which there is a progressive inflammation of several joints( most often small ones), while the limbs are affected symmetrically. Often this affects older people. The cause of arthritis can also be a metabolic disorder, which worsens the nutrition of the joints.

Arthritis in its various forms can be characterized by different combinations of symptoms. Usually arthritis causes swelling of the affected joints. At the initial stages of the disease, pain can occur both during movement and physical exertion, and at certain times of the day( for example, at night or in the form of morning stiffness).If the arthritis turns into a chronic form, the pain can become permanent. In addition, the inflamed joint usually turns red, swells and even deforms, its work is disrupted, in severe cases of arthritis - to complete immobility.

Types of arthritis

Depending on the nature of the lesion, the main types of arthritis are combined into two classes: inflammatory arthritis and degenerative arthritis.

To inflammatory arthritis include:

infectious arthritis
rheumatoid arthritis
gout
reactive arthritis

They are associated with inflammation of the synovial membrane - a thin film of connective tissue lining the joint from the inside.

To degenerative arthritis include:

osteoarthrosis
traumatic arthritis

These diseases are associated with damage to the articular cartilage covering the ends of bones at the site of their articulation.

Causes of arthritis

Causes of arthritis: bacterial, viral or fungal infection, trauma, allergy, metabolic disorders, diseases of the nervous system, lack of vitamins. Typically, infection in the joints occurs through the circulatory system from another part of the body, this can occur with trauma, surgical intervention.

Symptoms of arthritis

Arthritis is characterized by pain in the joint, especially when moving, often there are limitations of its mobility, swelling, changes in shape, sometimes the skin over the joint turns red and fever appears. Symptoms of infectious arthritis are redness, swelling, a feeling of pain with pressure, often there are common symptoms of an infectious disease - fever, chills, pain all over the body. There are arthritis of one joint( monoarthritis) and many( polyarthritis).Arthritis can begin immediately and be accompanied by severe pain in the joint( acute arthritis) or develop gradually( chronic arthritis).Arthritis can occur suddenly or develop gradually. Some people experience acute aching or dull pain. This pain is comparable to a toothache. Movement in this joint is usually disturbed, although sometimes stiffness is observed.

Treatment of arthritis

Treatment of arthritis depends on the form of the disease. First of all, it is necessary to eliminate its main cause( excessive physical activity, malnutrition, alcohol abuse).Treatment of arthritis involves the use of antibiotics, as well as non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs administered intraarticularly. Carrying out the treatment of arthritis, the specialists also pay much attention to physiotherapeutic procedures and medical gymnastics, necessary to maintain joint mobility and preserve muscle mass.

Osteoarthritis

What is the difference between arthritis and arthritis?

Osteoarthritis ( from the Greek arthron-joint), a chronic joint disease of an exchange character, accompanied by changes in the articulating surfaces of bones. A more correct name for arthrosis is osteoarthritis. The main symptoms of arthrosis: severe pain in the joint, decreased mobility of the joint. In case of neglect of arthrosis, immobility of the joint arises. The main difference between arthrosis and arthritis: with arthrosis, the main destructive activity is performed not by inflammatory, but by degenerative processes in the articular cartilage. Arthrosis is not an inflammatory disease and therefore has nothing to do with arthritis or chronic polyarthritis, in which inflammation of the joint is based on a reactive pathological change in the joint fluid. The same can be said about acute arthritis - inflammation of the joints, caused by various pathogens of infection. Characteristic symptoms of arthrosis - pain during exercise, subsiding at rest, restriction of mobility and crunch in the joint, muscle tension in the joint region, possibly the periodic appearance of swelling, gradual deformation of the joint.

Unlike arthritis, arthrosis is a joint disease, accompanied by destruction of cartilage, and inflammation occurs later and may not be permanent.

Arthrosis causes pathological changes in the joint tissues, and the causes of the disease are still not fully understood. Arthrosis develops under the influence of various genetic( arthrosis affects women more often, as well as people with congenital diseases of bones and joints) and acquired( elderly, overweight, transferred joint operations) factors. Osteoarthritis can occur as a result of excessive loads on the joints or their injuries. It is accepted to distinguish between primary and secondary arthrosis. Primary arthrosis is the result of disruption of the regeneration of cartilage cells, which can occur due to poor blood supply and nutrition of the joint tissues. It is believed that secondary arthrosis develops in the already affected joint, but it is difficult to draw a clear line between these two forms.

At the initial stages of arthrosis manifests itself in the form of unpleasant sensations and crunches when flexing joints. When the arthrosis begins to progress, there is pain during movement, physical exertion, increasing by the end of the day( during the night it usually subside, and a person suffering from arthrosis can for a long time not pay attention to the illness).In the late stages of arthrosis, the mobility of the joints is completely impaired, and pain pains the person more often. Osteoarthritis is very dangerous, and if degenerative tissue changes have gone too far, the doctor will not be able to restore the joint. Usually, you can only slow the progression of the disease, remove inflammation( by using non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) and reduce pain. To prevent arthrosis, the patient should try to reduce the burden on the affected joint and get rid of excess weight, which is facilitated by physical therapy and physiotherapy. Osteoarthritis in severe form may require surgical intervention.

Classification of arthrosis

Primary arthrosis - accounts for approximately 40-50% of all cases of arthrosis. In this case, the disease occurs on a previously healthy joint, and its cause is not damage to the joint, but, for example, heavy physical work.
Secondary arthrosis - is approximately 50-60% of cases. In this case, the joint, subject to arthrosis, was deformed even before the illness - for example, as a result of trauma.

Arthrosis is affected by 10 to 15% of the world's population. With age, the risk of arthrosis is significantly increased. Often the symptoms of arthrosis are found already in 30-40 years.27% of people over 50 years old suffer from arthrosis. And after 60 years, almost everyone suffers from this disease. The frequency of occurrence of arthrosis is the same among men and women. An exception is arthrosis of interphalangeal joints - this type of arthrosis occurs most often in women.

The causes and nature of the disease can be different. Osteoarthritis can develop on rheumatic soil. This applies to people with chronic rheumatism. Diseases sometimes come in whole "sets": arthrosis is accompanied by rheumatism, varicosity with thrombosis, vascular sclerosis, stroke, etc. Everything in the body is interconnected. Arthrosis can also be an autoimmune disease. This means that the immune system, whose purpose is to protect you from viruses and bacteria, suddenly begins to attack healthy cells. The puzzle of why the body begins to attack itself has not yet been uncovered.

But still, most often arthrosis is a sign of rheumatoid arthritis, and is a destructive change in cartilage and bone tissue, occurring with age as a result of natural aging. Eloquence and statistics are eloquent. At the age of 60-70 years, arthrosis is diagnosed in 60-70% of people. The words "arthrosis" and arthritis are similar only phonetically, but the reasons are completely different and, accordingly, the treatment also. When distinguishing between arthrosis and arthritis, it is important to recognize the different directions in which a destructive and deforming process is taking place. If you have arthrosis, the metabolism in the joint is broken, its elasticity is lost, the cartilage is thinned and every movement hurts. If you have arthritis, your immune system has taken to the joint, your body works against its tissue and this causes inflammation, pain and changes that are deforming. It is important to understand this because it determines the treatment. While arthritis will be suppressed by autoimmune processes, mechanical restoration of the joint is the main goal for the treatment of patients with arthrosis.

The first blow is taken by knee joints, joints of elbows, hands. Thus, arthrosis of the knee joint is most common. Over time, there is a deforming arthrosis, the joints begin to deform, because of curvatures, the affected areas can take on bizarre contours. There are, in particular, terms such as "swan neck", "button loop".If a person has deforming arthrosis and his fingers are injured, then outwardly they can become shorter.

Deforming arthrosis is a disease of our time, it led us to a sedentary lifestyle. Nature was destined to live differently, but by automating processes, a person "earned" a lot of sores, which people pay for all the benefits received. Deforming arthrosis affects, as a rule, bearing joints. Osteoarthritis of the knee joint is explained, because its feature is unlike the other joints in the large loads that it carries. Nature did not take particular care of feeding such overworked places. And since there are no own vessels in the cartilage of the knee joint, as a result of aging or under the influence of infections or traumas, it can atrophy.

What joints suffer from arthrosis?

The most common diseases are arthrosis of the joints of the lower half of the body( hip, knee, first metatarsophalangeal).Most often, with osteoarthritis, the knee( gonarthrosis) and hip joint( coxarthrosis) are affected. One of the earliest symptoms of arthrosis is pain in the knee joints. At the onset of the disease, it is practically absent, but appears when the joint is loaded. With arthrosis of the knee joints, massage of the lower extremities may be useful, but you should avoid direct exposure to the affected joint, as this may increase the inflammatory reaction in it.

In the hands of arthritis, the joints of the phalanges of the fingers are most often affected. Arthrosis usually occurs first on one joint, and then on the second - symmetrical first.

Osteoarthritis of the spine

Ankylosing spondylarthrosis( Bechterew's disease) leads to a limitation of the motor abilities of the spine - because of the joint, i.e.fusion, some joints. The results of X-ray examination reveal that the spine, subject to arthrosis, is similar to a bamboo stick.

There are five forms of arthrosis of the spine:

Central - arthrosis is affected only by the spine
Deficiency of arthrosis not only of the spine, but also of the humeral or pelvic joints.
Peripheral - arthrosis prone to the spine and peripheral joints
Scandinavian - damage occurs by arthrosis occurs in the spine and small joints of the hands and feet
Ankylosing spondylitis with extra-articular manifestations: eye, cardiovascular, kidney, lung fibrosis.

Evaluation of how much the arthrosis damaged the spine, more precisely, how much it limited mobility, is performed by the following samples:

It is necessary to tilt the body forward to the maximum distance, without bending the knees. Distance to the floor in the absence of arthrosis within 5 millimeters.
It is necessary to stand with your back to the wall and press against it with heels, buttocks and the back of your head. Most patients with arthrosis can not touch the back of the head.
It is necessary to stand up straight, not bending the spine, and then try to get an ear with a shoulder joint.

Patients with arthrosis can not do this.

Causes of Arthrosis

Osteoarthritis can occur as a result of intoxications, infectious diseases( eg, typhoid, syphilis, etc.). Arthrosis can also occur with joint injuries( fracture of the articular ends of bones, articular cartilage damage), with significant functional overload of the joint( for example, ballet dancers,loaders, etc.).Known importance is the common cold( for example, arthrosis in workers in hot shops).

Symptoms of arthrosis

The disease is caused by a malnutrition of the joint( epiphyseal) ends of bones. As a result of changes in patency or damage to the vessels feeding the bone, aseptic necrosis occurs, aggravating lesions in the joint. Thus, arthrosis is progressive. Initially, painful changes appear in the inner( so-called synovial) membrane of the articular bag, then they grasp the cartilage covering the articular surfaces of the jointed bones;the cartilage gradually collapses, exposing the bone;bone tissue in places is rarefied, sometimes compacted, bone spike-shaped outgrowths are formed - the picture of deforming arthrosis develops. More often arthrosis develops in the hip, knee and first metatarsus-phalangeal joints. Usually arthrosis is affected by middle-aged and elderly people. Arthrosis is manifested by pains that appear gradually, occur periodically, exacerbated after severe physical exertion or, conversely, after a prolonged state of rest. As a result of pain, mobility in the joint is limited. Arthrosis is accompanied by inflammation of the tissues surrounding the joint, and nerve trunks, the function of the joint suffers and as a result of the protective muscle tension.

Treatment of arthrosis

Treatment of arthrosis - outpatient and in a sanatorium-resort setting. Assign painkillers, hormonal drugs( adrenocorticotrophic series), physiotherapy( thermal procedures, ultrasound), therapeutic gymnastics, massage. In severe cases - for the treatment of arthrosis resort to surgery( arthrodesis, arthroplasty).

If the process of cartilage wear has not gone too far, help preparations containing glucosamine sulfate, a natural substance obtained from the shells of marine animals. It positively affects the metabolism in the cartilage and improves the mobility of the joints.

For example, based on the stable crystalline form of glucosamine, the drug Don has been developed which not only relieves symptoms, but also slows the progression of the disease, which significantly improves the quality of life of the patient and postpones the need for endoprosthetics.