This disease is quite common at the present time: several million people on the planet suffer from arthritis.
What is arthritis? Of course, this is the first question that arises in a person when he hears his diagnosis from a doctor.
Arthritis is an inflammation of the joints, the nature of which can be different. However, there is always an inflammatory process as a reaction to an influence, external or internal. What is arthritis, of course, but what are its causes? They are different. In addition to directly causing the disease, predisposing factors are also taken into account. They are as follows:
- age of the patient - the older the person, the more likely the disease;
- heredity and gender - in women, pathology is more common, can be transmitted to children from parents;
- excess body weight and low mobility - the more weight, the greater the load on the joints. Exercise strengthens the muscle corset around the joint, thereby reducing the load on it;
- allergies are a risk factor for rheumatoid arthritis;
- damagejoints.
Types of arthritis
Medicine identifies many varieties of arthritis. Among them, the most common are infectious, rheumatoid, arthritis with gout, osteoarthritis. According to the number of affected joints, monoarthritis (one joint is affected) and polyarthritis (several joints) are distinguished. Arthritis is also classified by the name of the joint in which there is a pathology. So it will be clear: to the question of what arthritis of the knee joint is, only one answer is possible - this is its inflammation.
How the disease manifests
There are classic signs of inflammation that doctors memorize like a spell: pain, heat, redness, swelling of the joints and dysfunction. All of them are characteristic of arthritis. Severe chronic arthritis is manifested by joint deformity, and local temperature increase and skin discoloration are not typical for them.
Monoarthritis is usually a lesion of large joints such as knees and hips. The elbow and shoulder joints are rarely affected. Rheumatoid arthritis is characterized by polyarthritis of the small joints of the hands.
Arthritis and arthrosis, their differences
Many people at the doctor's appointment ask the same questions: “What is arthritis and arthrosis? What is the difference? Or is it the same? Of course no. These are completely different processes. In analyzing what arthritis is above, we realized that it is, in fact, inflammation.
Arthrosis is a dystrophic process leading to degenerationcartilage. It is primary if it occurs on an intact joint due to a violation of the biomechanics of its movement (age-related, after injuries of any localization, as a result of physical inactivity, high physical exertion). Secondary arthrosis develops in an organ that has already been altered due to genetic abnormalities or trauma.
Of course, the sooner the doctor finds out if his patient has arthritis or arthrosis, and the sooner adequate treatment is started, the higher the chances of restoring the structure and functions of the joints. Determining the cause and nature of the process plays an essential role in this.
