Difference between osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis

Difference between osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis

Both Rheumatoid and Osteoarthritis are the most common forms of arthritis
found today. While they result in pain and stiffness in the joints, the causes
and treatment for both can be different.

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is an autoimmune condition causing inflammation
that leads to pain and stiffness in the joint. Apart from these, other symptoms
of rheumatoid arthritis include swelling, fatigue, weight loss, poor appetite,
loss of function and redness in the affected joints, fever and anaemia.Unlike
other types of arthritis, it affects both accompanying joints in the body.

Osteoarthritis
(OA)refers to a condition that effects all major joints of the body. This
happens when the cartilage cushioning in the joints breaks down due to daily
wear and tear. This commonly occurs in isolated joints of the knee and hip.

Here are the vital differences
between the two –

• While OA is a degenerative condition, RA is an auto-immune
  condition
• OA commonly affects older people, while RA can occur at any
  age
• RA is hereditary, which means that family history of the
  disease, increases one’s risk of being affected by the condition. Common risk
  factors for OA are co-morbidities like obesity and diabetes.
• A systemic disease, RA can affect organs like lungs, heart
  and eyes apart from joints, unlike OA.
• Both OA and RA tend to have common symptoms like pain,
  stiffness and swelling; RA also presents one with additional symptoms like
  fever, fatigue, loss of appetite/ weight-loss.

Despite
these differences, they can be managed with common drugs like NSAIDs or
steroids and physical therapy. Being chronic conditions they both require
lifestyle changes like a healthy body-weight and a
balanced diet to slow down the progression of symptoms.