RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS VS. ARTHRITIS: WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE?

Arthritis is a general term used to describe joint disease. Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a type of arthritis in which the body’s immune system mistakenly attacks the joints, causing chronic inflammation.

Rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune disease that occurs when the body’s immune system attacks the joint linings (synovium) that produce fluid that lubricates the joints. This results in signs and symptoms of inflammation, swelling, and pain in and around the joints, and in some cases, a rash. Over time, if left untreated, RA damages cartilage and bone and causes permanent joint deformity.

RA affects joints on both sides of the body, typically the hands, feet, wrists, elbows, knees and ankles, although it can also affect other joints. It can also affect the cardiovascular or respiratory systems.

Different types of medications are used to treat RA, including nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), corticosteroids, disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs), and subsets of DMARDs (biologics and JAK inhibitors). Rheumatoid arthritis is diagnosed with a physical exam and history, a blood test and sometimes xrays.

Other types of arthritis include:

• Osteoarthritis – the most common type of arthritis, resulting from degeneration of cartilage

• Inflammatory arthritis – examples include rheumatoid arthritis and psoriatic arthritis

• Infectious arthritis – an infection triggers joint inflammation

• Metabolic arthritis – a buildup or uric acid in the blood causes joint pain

Rheumatoid Arthritis

When the disease is active, RA symptoms and signs can include: