Arthritis is Arthritis... Right?

If the person I’m talking to says his grandad has that too, and he just takes Tylenol Arthritis for it, I shake my head.

“No, that’s a very different disease. That’s osteoarthritis. It makes the cartilage that cushions the joints wear down over time so that bone finally ends up rubbing on bone. It can be really painful, but Tylenol can often relieve it.

Describe the autoimmune response “Rheumatoid disease makes my body’s immune system attack its own tissues. It causes damaging inflammation all over the body, and arthritis in the joints. Pain relief? Well, heroin works pretty well.”That leaves my acquaintance either gaping at me or laughing at my “joke.” Unless they’re actually interested in finding out more--and they’re generally not--I change the subject and we move on.Explain with the differences between the twoThere’s plenty more I could say. Both diseases are incurable, but while osteoarthritis affects only the joints in the fingers, thumbs, the spine in the neck and lower back, the hips, knees, and feet, rheumatoid disease may affect every synovial joint in the body, including the jaw and in the voicebox. It may also cause terrible, disabling deformities in the joints.How does osteoarthritis differ from RA?I could say that while osteoarthritis breaks down the cartilage between the joints, rheumatoid disease breaks down cartilage, ligaments, tendons, the lining of the synovial capsule that surrounds the joint and the synovial fluid itself. It also attacks the linings of the heart and the lungs, and can attack the eyes, the vascular system, and the kidneys.Osteoarthritis is "wear and tear"Osteoarthritis is the most common form of arthritis in the U.S. It affects about 27 million adults age 25 and older, though it’s far more prevalent among people over 40. Researchers once believed that osteoarthritis was caused by the normal “wear and tear” the joints suffer over time, but more lately they’re coming to believe that it may be a disease process in itself. The pain osteoarthritis causes is frequently relieved by mild analgesics (like aspirin, ibuprofen, and Tylenol), and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), depending on the degree of damage in the joint and other factors.Rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune diseaseAutoimmune rheumatoid disease, still better known as rheumatoid arthritis, is much more rare, affecting just 1.5 million Americans over the age of 18. While it can affect children as young as toddlers, it generally affects people between the ages of 30 and 60. Among those with RD, women outnumber men three to one. Researchers believe the disease may be caused by some combination of genetics and environmental triggers, such as some viruses or smoking, but the exact cause is still unknown. And people with rheumatoid disease live shorter lives, on average, than those who don’t have it.It’s treated with NSAIDs and powerful drugs called disease modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARDs), including one that was originally used to fight cancer, and biologic DMARDs. These drugs can’t cure the disease. Instead they may slow or stop its progression (known as remission). Over-the-counter analgesics may relieve the pain of mild RD/RA flares, but more severe flares often require stronger drugs, including NSAIDs and opioid pain relievers.And finally, people who have rheumatoid disease can have osteoarthritis, too--and vice versa.Arming myself with the facts helped me interact with othersIt’s good to know as much as we can about this disease, whether we call it rheumatoid arthritis or autoimmune rheumatoid disease. Age, experience, and finally arming myself with the facts have changed the way I think about the disease. They’ve also changed how I interact with others who don’t have it. I don’t feel insulted or embarrassed anymore. I just tell them how it is.