OA versus RA

Osteoarthritis (OA) versus Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA)

We’ve all heard of arthritis, but most of us are not aware that there are more than 100 arthritic conditions. The two most common are osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis. They both affect the joints and bones, but are actually very different diseases in terms of causes and effective treatments.

Around 27 million Americans suffer from osteoarthritis (OA). It is the most common form of arthritis and usually appears in both men and women over the age of 45. By contrast, rheumatoid arthritis (RA) has around 2 million suffers, around 90% of whom are women.

OA is caused by wear and tear on the joints as we age, and through injury. RA, on the other hand, is an autoimmune disorder. This means that the body starts to attack itself. Researchers are not sure why this is the case, but the results are very obvious. The body attacks the synovium, the lining of the joints and causes pain and swelling.

As the synovium swell, they damage, muscles ligaments and eventually even the bones themselves, causing severe deformity. If you have ever seen anyone with gnarled hands and bent looking fingers, they are probably suffering from RA.

OA tends to affect the major joints in the body, such as knees and hips, and the spine. RA tends to affect ankles and feet, and wrists and hands.

With OA, it is important to maintain flexibility in your joints and mobility in order to maintain a good quality of life. With rheumatoid arthritis exercise, is an important part of avoiding the disease doing severe damage to the body.

There are some ways it might be possible to prevent OA. These include protecting your joints from injury and maintain good muscle tone and healthy collagen, which is an important building block of cartilage in your joints, but which diminishes as we age.

With RA, there is no known way to prevent it at this time, but avoiding toxins and inflammation, that is, irritation due to stress, the foods you eat, and/or your environment, might help.

If you think you have either of these forms of arthritis, consult your doctor. They will recommend lab tests to identify the type of rheumatic disease you may have and set you on the path to the best treatment for your particular condition.

Alarming Statistics You Should Know

Lifetime Risk of Symptomatic Osteoarthritis (OA)
– Nearly 1 in 2 people may develop symptomatic knee OA by age 85 years.1
– Two in three people who are obese may develop symptomatic knee OA in their lifetime.1
– One in 4 people may develop painful hip arthritis by age 85 years.2

Total Joint Replacements in Arthritis
– In 2011, there were 757,000 total knee replacement procedures performed, with osteoarthritis accounting for 95%.
– In 2011, there were 512,000 total hip replacement procedures (OA accounted for 80%).

Prevalence of Arthritis
– From 2010- 2012, an estimated 52.5 million US adults (22.7%) annually were ever told by a doctor that they have some form of arthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, gout, lupus, or fibromyalgia.
– An estimated 49.7% of adults 65 years or older reported doctor-diagnosed arthritis from 2010-2012.
– An estimated 62% of adults with arthritis are less than 65 years old.
– By 2040, an estimated 78 million Americans ages 18 years or older are projected to have doctor-diagnosed arthritis.
– An estimated 294,000 children under age 18 have some form of arthritis or rheumatic condition; this represents approximately 1 in every 250 children in the United States.

More Alarming Statistics Found On: http://www.cdc.gov/arthritis/data_statistics/arthritis-related-stats.htm.

Have you been diagnosed to have either OA or RA? You do not need to be one of the statistics. Read chapter 2 of Guide To Heal Arthritis to learn why nothing has worked so far…