This disease is quite common at present: several million people on the planet suffer from arthritis.
What is arthritis? Of course, this is the first question that a person has when he hears his diagnosis from a doctor.
Arthritis is an inflammation of the joints, the nature of which can be different. However, the inflammatory process is always present as a reaction to the impact, external or internal. What is arthritis, understandably, 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:
- patient age - the older the person, the greater the likelihood of illness;
- heredity and gender - in women, the 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 - a risk factor for the development of rheumatoid arthritis;
- joint damage.
Types of Arthritis
Medicine distinguishes many varieties of arthritis. Among them, the most common are infectious, rheumatoid, arthritis with gout, osteoarthritis. Monoarthritis (one joint is affected) and polyarthritis (several joints) are distinguished by the number of affected joints. 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, only one answer is possible - this is its inflammation.
How does the disease manifest
There are classic signs of inflammation that doctors memorize as a spell: pain, fever, redness, swollen joints, and impaired function. For arthritis, they are all characteristic. 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 the knee and hip. Elbow and shoulder joints rarely suffer. With rheumatoid arthritis , polyarthritis of the small joints of the hands is characteristic.
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 thing? ” Of course no. These are completely different processes. Analyzing above what arthritis is, we realized that it is, in essence, inflammation.
Osteoarthritis is a degenerative process leading to cartilage degeneration. 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 the arthritis or arthrosis of his patient, and the sooner the adequate treatment is started, the higher the chances of restoring the structure and function of the joints. Determining the cause and nature of the process plays a significant role in this.