Differences between Osteoarthritis and Rheumatoid Arthritis are as follows:
1. Rheumatoid Arthritis most commonly occurs in middle-aged women, while osteoarthritis is often seen in those over 50 yeard old.
2. Osteoarthritis and Rheumatoid Arthritis synovitis basic lesions , and osteoarthritis articular cartilage degeneration and primary hyperplasia .
3.Osteoarthritis and Rheumatoid Arthritis mainly involves in proximal interphalangeal joint and Osteoarthritis mainly involves the distal joints.
4. Rheumatoid Arthritis shows progressive, symmetric and progressive joint damage, which can not be remitted spontaneously without treatment, while inflammation in Rheumatoid Arthritis can be remitted after rests.
5. Patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis have nodules, while sufferers with Osteoarthritis seldom have nodules.
6. Patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis experience morning stiffness for over one hour, while Osteoarthritis experience morning stiffness for no more than half an hour.
7. Positive rate of rheumatoid factor in patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis reaches above 75 percent, while Osteoarthritis sufferers have negative rheumatoid factors.
Traditional Chinese Medicine(TCM) Treatment for Osteoarthritis
Currently, there has not yet effective drugs that can repair articular cartilage or function on articular cartilage cells in western medicine. In traditional theory of TCM, Osteoarthritis is caused by wind, cold or dampness invasion, which causes blockage of meridians. Therefore, TCM treatment is generally aimed at expelling wind and cold, relieving muscle spasms, activating blood and eliminating stasis. Traditional Chinese medicine treatment is aimed at relaxing muscle stiffness, dredging channels, eliminating swelling and stopping pains. Therefore, the treatment can play certain role in restoring normal metabolism of articular cartilage cells.
TCM treatment is one of the treatment options for patients with Osteoarthritis. In some cases, the patient experience Osteoarthritis and Rheumatoid Arthritis at the same time and are confused whether RA is the inducing cause of Osteoarthritis. In this case, you may read this article: Causes of Osteoporosis in Rheumatoid Arthritis(RA)to know the relationship between theW two diseases and proper way of treating them.
