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ARTHRITIS

Arthritis literally means "joint inflammation".That is a joint that is painful, warm to the touch, possibly red, swollen and associated with a loss of function.

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Arthritis is not a single disease. In fact, more than 100 different conditions can affect the joints and their adjacent bones, muscles, and tissues. They are classified into various major types of arthritis, depending on whether or not inflammation, infection or bleeding is the major component. All of these types of arthritis are completely different, with different presentations, symptoms and treatment.

What is Osteoarthritis?
Osteoarthritis(OA) is the most common form of arthritis. It is a 'non-inflammatory' type of arthritis, which means that inflammation is not the key component, but it can, on occasion, develop inflammatory changes. It is completely different from the less common rheumatoid arthritis, which is an inflammatory arthritis in which the body's immune system attacks its own tissues, causing significant inflammation.

The causes and treatments for most other arthritis-related diseases differ from Osteoarthritis.
While Osteoarthritis sometimes may be painful it is not always disabling, and unlike rheumatoid arthritis, is unlikely to produce severe deformity of the joints.Osteoarthritis can involve a number of joints, but it is not a disease that spreads to involve other tissues throughout the body.

Osteoarthritis (OA) has been called a "degenerative" condition because it is caused, in part, by wear-and-tear of a joint over time. Its impact is significant. Osteoarthritis occurs in both men and women and usually develops after age 45.  More than 16 million Americans, including over 50% of people over 65, have some degree of osteoarthritis. Older people often don't realize that they have OA if they are free of pain and other symptoms. However, x-rays often reveal some Osteoarthritis of the spine or fingers in elderly individuals.

Osteoarthritis develops in a joint when cartilage, the smooth shiny tissue that lines and cushions the ends of the bones inside a joint, begins to break down. This can happen from prolonged "wear-and-tear" as we age, prior injury or damage to the joint from trauma or infection, or cartilage that is altered by other disease or is genetically weak. But in most cases we simply don't know what causes it. Unfortunately, damaged cartilage cannot heal to become normal again, though tremendous research is underway developing methods to restore damaged cartilage.

Osteoarthritis most frequently occurs in weight-bearing joints (knees, hips, back, feet), hands, or spine, but the knee is the most commonly affected joint. If osteoarthritis develops in the hips or knees, it often occurs in only one joint but may affect any number of joints. If the hands are affected, a few finger joints may become arthritic at the same time.

What is the difference between osteoarthritis (OA) and rheumatoid arthritis (RA)?
The principle features of the two conditions are not the same, and their treatment is very different. In reumatoid arthritis, the cartilage in the joint becomes damaged and, ultimately, the joint degenerates. The joint is not primarily inflamed, although inflammation may occur as a late result. On the other hand, in reumatoid arthritis, there is initial inflammation of the lining of the joint. This produces a soft, tender swelling in contrast to the bony enlargement of . Cartilage damage occurs later as a result of this inflammation. The pain of oteoarthritis is often least troublesome in the morning but may gradually worsen during the day. With reumatoid arthritis, the pain and stiffness usually is worst on waking, but gradually improves during the day.
 
Rheumatoid arthritis is not just a disease of the joints. Abnormalities occur in the blood vessels, circulating cells and proteins, as well as connective tissue. Not surprisingly, reumatoid arthritis is associated with more generalized disturbances - such as anemia (low red blood cell count) - which are proportional to the activity of the arthritis. Usually more than one joint is involved in reumatoid arthritis, with the hands almost always affected.

Facts About Osteoarthritis
Osteoarthritis is an inevitable part of aging and can affect any joint. It is the oldest discovered health problem having been found in dinosaur joints and Egyptian mummies.
Osteoarthritis is the most widespread form of arthritis, affecting about 16 million people throughout the United States. The Arthritis Foundation estimates that some 59 million Americans - nearly 20% of the population - will have arthritis by the year 2020, as age catches up with the baby boomers. Research to replace damaged cartilage is showing much promise and hope for the future.

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