Arthritis is a very common medical condition affecting 24% or 58.8 million people in the United States. The symptoms of arthritis usually include pain, inflammation and stiffness in the joints. Arthritis can affect different joints and symptoms can vary from person to person. The most common types of arthritis being osteoarthritis followed by rheumatoid arthritis. Osteoarthritis vs. Rheumatoid Arthritis: here are three differences.
Osteoarthritis vs. Rheumatoid Arthritis
Cartilage is a firm connective tissue found in many areas of the body. While firm, it is much softer and more flexible than bone and is an important structural component of the body. Osteoarthritis occurs when the protective cartilage on the ends of your bone breaks down. This causes swelling, pain and problems moving the affected joints.
Rheumatoid Arthritis, on the other hand, is an autoimmune disease. An autoimmune disease happens when your immune system attacks your body by mistake. Rheumatoid Arthritis occurs when your immune system mistakenly attacks the cells that line your joints, resulting in your joints being swollen, painful and stiff. As the disease progress, the tendons, joints, catilage and even nearby bone can be damaged. If left without treatment, Rheutmatoid Arthritis can lead to the joint losing its alignment and shape.
Environmental Risk Factors
While the exact causes of both osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis are not completely clear, they differ in terms of their risk factors. Both Osteoarthritis and Rheumatoid Arthritis can be genetically inherited, but different environmental factors play a role in these two conditions.
Joint injury and joint pressure can put you at risk of developing Osteoarthritis. If you’ve suffered from joint-related injuries before or are putting your joints under too much stress soon after an injury, you could be increasing your risk. It is important to let your body rest and give injuries time to heal. High-intensity and physically demanding jobs can put too much pressure and stress on your joints which can cause arthritis as well. Obesity is another environmental risk factor when it comes to Osteoarthritis as carrying extra weight puts extra stress on your joints. It is therefore important to try to live a healthy lifestyle with a balanced diet.
For Rheumatoid Arthritis, smoking and diet can increase the risk. Certain reports have posited that consuming too much red meat or an insuffient intake of vitamin C can contribute to the cause of Rheumatoid Arthritis.
Age
With Osteoarthritis, your risk increase with your age. Rheumatoid Arthritis, however, particularly affects those aged between 40 and 50 years of age. Versus Arthritis states that three-quarters of people with the condition are of working age. Most are between 40 and 60 years old.
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