If you have experienced joint pain at one point in your life, you have probably heard the term “arthritis”. The only issue with the term arthritis is that it is incredibly generalized to accommodate two separate diseases known as Rheumatoid Arthritis (Rheumatism) and Osteoarthritis. These two diseases affect the same areas of the body but are completely different medical ailments that will require immediate attention, as Rheumatism is an autoimmune disease and Osteoarthritis is a degenerative disease that is detrimental to the joints.
The Differences in Demographics
Considering that these two health ailments are different from one another, they also affect different demographics. Since Rheumatism is an autoimmune disease, it has a higher genetic correlation than Osteoarthritis and it is more likely to occur in adult smokers. It is also important to note that every individual is at risk for experiencing either type of arthritis without a healthy lifestyle that prevents obesity and the appropriate growth of cartilage and bones. Luckily there are a variety of different vitamin that can help the body to replenish cartilage and to minimize the amount of pain that is experienced with both Rheumatism and Osteoarthritis.
What is Rheumatism?
As previously mentioned, Rheumatism is an autoimmune disease which essentially means that your body will begin to attack itself. The main objective of Rheumatism is to target synovium. Synovium is the lining that is around the joints to help promote healthy growth, stability, and to protect the joints from external damage. The main issue with Rheumatism is that it sees synovium as a threat to your body (as a virus or a bacteria) and it begins to attack the tissue, attempting to eradicate it from your system. As a result of this, fluid will begin to build up around the joints, causing stiffness, inflammation, and extreme pain.
What is Osteoarthritis?
In comparison to Rheumatism, Osteoarthritis is a degenerative joint disease, meaning that your body does not attack itself, but instead you will experience a loss of healthy cartilage at an extremely fast rate. Individuals who experience Osteoarthritis begin to lose all of the cartilage that is the cushion to protect your joints. Once this cushion has been completely eliminated, the bones begin to rub against one another with every movement, thus causing inflammation and pain. The main difference between Rheumatism and Osteoarthritis is that the latter is not an autoimmune disease.
