Osteoarthritis is due to the breakdown of cartilage that cushions your joints.
It also identifies risk factors for arthritis.
It’s often called wear-and-tear arthritis and is caused bycartilage loss.
Illustration by Alexandra Gordon for Verywell Health
Cartilage is the cushioning that sits between the bones that form your joints.
When it wears away or deteriorates, it causes your bones to rub together, which is extremely painful.
Osteoarthritis typically begins in a single joint or a few joints and is more common with age.
Multiple joints are usually involved as well.
RA disease onset is most common in people between 30 and 60.
Symptoms of OA and RA
OA and RA have some symptoms in common.
However, each condition also has several symptoms that are different from the other.
RA may start with symptoms like fatigue, fever, and weakness.
The joint pain may get worse over a few weeks or months.
Some symptoms of RA and OA are similar but present differently.
For example, both conditions include morning stiffness.
However, with OA, it tends to last for a shorter time than RA.
Keep in mind that because OA is a degenerative disorder, it also can affect other joints.
Pain in your back, for example, may be due to OA affecting the joints in your spine.
Risk Factors
There are some similarities among risk factors for OA and RA.
Thus far, the cause of this imbalance is unknown.
Rheumatoid Arthritis Causes
Thecause of RAis less understood.
Common theories point to a genetic predisposition combined with other possible triggers, such as smoking or obesity.
Diagnosis
If you’re experiencing any arthritis symptoms, make an appointment with your healthcare provider.
They can help you determine whether they’re signs of osteoarthritis or rheumatoid arthritis.
The diagnostic processes for OA and RA have a fair amount of overlap.
Test results, a physical examination, and your medical history are all taken together to determine a diagnosis.
Treatments
OA and RA are treated very differently.
OA Treatment Options
Treatment options for osteoarthritisfocus on pain relief and restoring function to the affected joint.
By limiting joint damage, disability is reduced.
The primarytreatment for rheumatoid arthritisis medication to reduce immune system activity and inflammation.
Managing weight may also help with reducing strain on your joints in both RA and OA.
Staying at a healthy weight can also help reduce inflammation in autoimmune diseases such as RA.
For serious cases of either condition, the last-resort treatment option is surgery.
This includesarthroscopy,arthrodesis(fusion), andarthroplasty(joint replacement).
Rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune disease where the immune system attacks tissues in the joints.
Symptoms can be similar, but there are differences between RA and OA.
While OA tends to start with joint pain, RA may start with other symptoms like fatigue and fever.
It is also possible to have both OA and RA, which requires treating both at the same time.
Treatment for OA tends to focus on pain relief.
Treatment for RA includes several different medications to treat this autoimmune disease.
Talk to your healthcare provider about your symptoms to get an accurate diagnosis and learn about your treatment options.
It’s possible, but there are some key differences to distinguish them.
Osteoarthritis develops gradually, while rheumatoid arthritis can worsen over several weeks or months.
The symptoms may seem similar, but your healthcare provider can help you determine which condition you have.
It might, depending on how far the conditions have progressed.
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