“What is the difference between rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis?”

There are over 120 different types of arthritis. Osteoarthritis in the past was called degenerative arthritis as the disease starts in the cartilage as it thins with age causing the bones of the joints to rub together and form bone spurs that cause pain and swelling and when this occurs in the spine, nerves can be pinched. Rheumatoid arthritis is due to inflammation in the synovium which is the lining of the joint that normally lubricates the joint but with inflammation the synovium produces large amounts of joint fluid that causes the joint to become warm, swollen and painful and can even be red at times. Osteoarthritis occurs as we get older or in a younger person who has injured a joint. Rheumatoid arthritis can occur at any age from a few months of age to the nineties; it can have a genetic component. Other than anti-inflammatory medications like ibuprofen and naproxen there are no therapies for osteoarthritis; often once the joint is severely damaged, surgery is required. In rheumatoid arthritis, there are many medications that can prevent further damage from occurring and put the disease in remission although we do not have a cure as of yet.

Rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune disease where the immune system mistakenly attacks the body's joints, leading to inflammation, pain, stiffness, and potential joint damage. It can affect multiple joints simultaneously and usually symmetrically. It can also affect other organs including the eyes, lungs, and rarely kidneys Osteoarthritis, on the other hand, is a degenerative joint disease primarily caused by wear and tear on the joints over time. It commonly occurs with aging or due to joint injury, resulting in the breakdown of cartilage, leading to pain, stiffness, and reduced joint movement. OA typically affects specific joints and tends to progress slowly. I hope this helps. sent from my iPhone Deborah Dyett Desir MD 203-415-4680 Get Outlook for iOS<https://aka.ms/o0ukef>

Rheumatoid arthritis is a disease where the joint lining or Synovium is inflamed

Osteoarthritis is a condition where the cartilage between the joint space is injured, breaks down , slowly progresses

Rheumatoid arthritis is an inflammatory arthritis and usually affects small joints like knuckles, and mid row of hand joints. Never affect the row of the joints that are close to the nails. RA is usually associated with swelling, morning stiffness that lasts more than 45 minutes and improves with activity. Usually wrists, hand and feet are the commonly involved joints. people usually say they fell like they are walking on the pebbles first thing in the morning when they walk to the bath room.

Osteoarthritis is degenerative arthritis and usually affects middle aged and elderly, commonly affects weight bearing joints like hips, knees and also affects base of both thumbs, neck and low back. Also involve the middle and distal row of joints in hands causing bony nodular changes.