What is it
Osteoarthritis is a chronic disease that affects the joints. Normally, it is located in the hands, knees, hips or spine. Arthrosis causes pain, inflammation and prevents normal movements such as closing one's hand, climbing stairs or walking.
The joints are the components of the skeleton that allow the connection between two bones (such as the elbow, knee, hip, etc.) and, therefore, movement. The cartilage is the tissue responsible for covering the ends of these bones and is essential for the proper functioning of the joint since it acts as a shock absorber.
BulkSupplements Glucosamine HCL Powder (1 Kilogram)
Arthrosis causes the deterioration of the articular cartilage, causing the bones to wear out and the pain to appear. As the cartilage is disappearing, the bone reacts and grows on the sides (osteophytes) producing deformation of the joint.
Incidence
Arthrosis is the most frequent articular disease in Spain , according to data from the Spanish Society of Rheumatology , which estimates that more than 7 million Spaniards over 20 years of age have osteoarthritis of the knee, hand or spine. In addition, this disease is more frequent in women , 52 percent, compared to 29 percent in men.
"From the radiological point of view, the population segment between 50 and 64 years old presents 70 percent of osteoarthritis in the hands, 40 percent in the feet, 10 percent in the knees and 3 percent in the hips ", they point out.
In addition, according to the World Health Organization , about 28 percent of the world population over 60 years of age has osteoarthritis and 80 percent of it has limitations in their movements . The increase in life expectancy and the aging of the population will make osteoarthritis the fourth cause of disability in the year 2020.
Causes
To date, the causes of osteoarthritis are not known exactly , but there are some risk factors associated with its appearance:
- Age : increases exponentially after 50 years.
- Sex : affects mostly women over 50-55 years old.
- Genetics : it can also be a hereditary disease. In particular, the genetic inheritance in the development of osteoarthritis can reach up to 65 percent.
- Work activity : the repetition of joint movements can lead, in the long term, to joint overload. Therefore, certain work activities (hairdressers, masons, etc.), can cause the appearance of arthrosis.
- High physical activity : elite athletes have a higher risk of developing the disease.
- Menopause : the decrease in estrogen levels that occurs with the arrival of menopause is one of the risk factors for its development.
- Obesity : it does not seem to participate in the development of osteoarthritis, but it can aggravate it in certain joints such as the knees.
- Injuries : fractures and injuries can be a triggering factor.
symptom
The manifestations of osteoarthritis are very varied, progressive and appear dilated over time.
The most frequent symptoms are joint pain , limitation of movements , crunches and, in some cases, joint effusion . In addition, some people may present joint stiffness and deformity .
The pain that most worries people with osteoarthritis is pain. In a first stage, it is triggered when it moves or an effort is made with the joint. This pain usually ceases with rest. Subsequently, the worsening of osteoarthritis will cause pain to appear both with movement and with rest.
One of the good points of arthritic pain is that it is not always constant, so that patients can be for long periods of time without suffering pain, which does not mean that osteoarthritis does not follow its evolution.
Prevention
The main measure that risk groups have to take into account to prevent the development of the disease is to eat a healthy and balanced diet , such as the Mediterranean diet , exercise moderately , activities that are appropriate to age and condition. current physical person and avoid obesity .
It is also convenient to limit the intense physical effort, such as carrying heavy objects or work activities that involve overexertion.
On the other hand, experts recommend that people be careful when playing contact sports, such as football or rugby, as they are not recommended for patients with osteoarthritis. The reason is that these sports are one of the factors that can trigger the disease. In fact, many players suffer from osteoarthritis of the knee due to injuries suffered in the meniscus .
In case of having the disease they should avoid the movements that produce pain, without getting to immobilize the area.
Types
Currently osteoarthritis manifests itself mainly in four areas:
Knee osteoarthritis
Knee osteoarthritis is the most common type of osteoarthritis. In fact, in Spain, 10 percent of Spaniards suffer from it. It is possible to distinguish between two types of osteoarthritis of the knee:
- Primary knee osteoarthritis : it is closely related to aging and genetics, and is linked to the wear and tear of the different parts of the knee (bones, the synovial membrane and cartilage).
- Secondary knee arthrosis : it usually occurs due to a previous injury, such as a fracture or a ligament injury. It usually affects athletes and obese people, since the overexertion they demand from their knees is high.
In this case the disease affects the internal and / or frontal parts of the knee causing pain when an effort is made. As a consequence of this pain and the degenerative evolution of the disease, the patient may have lameness if the disease progresses to an advanced stage. In this type of osteoarthritis the movement of the joint usually causes clicks.
Arthrosis of hands
Arthrosis of the hands is the second most common type of osteoarthritis. In Spain, 6 percent of citizens suffer. It is usually closely linked to the female sex and the genetic inheritance of the patient . Arthrosis of the hands originates in a joint and, later, can extend to the rest of the hand.
It is very visible, as it tends to deform the fingers and affects the daily life of patients in everyday tasks such as writing. During the process, the pain accompanies the evolution of the disease being stronger at the beginning and mitigating as the nodules appear. The discomfort usually decreases when the deformation is complete. The functionality of the hand may be affected and the joint may be slightly bent or deflected.
Hip arthrosis
Osteoarthritis of the hip is one that affects the upper part of the leg. This type of osteoarthritis is quite common, although not as much as osteoarthritis of the knee or hand. In general, it is typical of older people, but it can appear before the age of 50, being exceptional in young people.
The main symptom is pain, which is located in the groin area and in the inner thigh area . However, sometimes the pain can be reflected in the knee.
At the beginning of the illness, the pain only appears when walking and going up or down stairs. Pain is also felt after a period of rest, until the joint becomes warm, and then reappears after a long walk or prolonged exercise, because the joint is overloaded. Progressively, difficult actions such as crossing or flexing the legs, or walking, become difficult. In advanced stages, pain may appear during the night, due to the resting position and, with the passage of time, it is normal for lameness to appear when walking.
Column osteoarthritis
The spine is made up of many joints. This causes osteoarthritis to develop in this area, often in the lumbar and cervical area .
This type of osteoarthritis can be asymptomatic, so it is often not diagnosed and is located by chance when performing an X-ray for another reason.
The pain can appear when performing mechanical activities, such as movements and overloads in the affected area. In addition, changes in time and pressure often aggravate the pain.
Diagnosis
As explained by the Spanish Society of Rheumatology (SER), the diagnosis of the pathology is made through a clinical interview.
There are some tests that help the specialist complete the study. Through an x-ray the doctor can distinguish the osteophytes, the clamping of the cartilage, the subchondral geodes and the asymmetric decrease of the joint space, clear symptoms of osteoarthritis.
Other tests that can be used in exceptional cases are CT and magnetic resonance when the doctor has doubts about the origin of the process or is studying other problems in a complementary way, such as a disc extrusion in a spondyloarthrosis or meniscus rupture in a gonarthrosis.
Finally, high resolution ultrasound has been incorporated as a very effective diagnostic tool because it reveals the soft parts that surround the joint, as well as if there is inflammation or injury in any of them and distinguish if the bone profile is altering.
Treatments
The main objective of treatment in osteoarthritis is to improve pain and functional disability without causing side effects.
To achieve this, the SER insists that the first step that specialists must take is to teach patients to avoid everything that contributes to injuring joints such as overweight, repetitive movements, inappropriate attitudes at work, footwear, kitchen utensils, furniture, etc.
Secondly, it is advised that each patient has a personalized and adapted table of exercises that must be done under the supervision of the physiotherapist to improve the course of the disease.
Finally, from the SER point out that the rheumatologist will decide the appropriate pharmacological treatment for each case:
Anti-inflammatories and / or analgesics
In the most acute phase, the pain increases a lot because of the inflammation of the affected area. At this point, it may be necessary to prescribe medical anti - inflammatories and / or analgesics to reduce the swelling of the area and thus relieve pain.
Chondroprotective drugs
They are the only specific drugs to treat osteoarthritis in the long term because they act directly on the affected joint. Not only do they relieve pain and improve mobility, but they are demonstrating that they have the capacity to attack the root disease, slowing down the deterioration of the joint. Among them are drugs such as chondroitin sulfate , glucosamine sulfate and hyaluronic acid .
In 2015, The Cochrane Library published a review on chondroitin sulfate that confirms the efficacy and safety of this drug in the treatment of osteoarthritis. The conclusions show that the patients treated with chondroitin sulfate presented an improvement of the pain and of the functional capacity statistically significant and clinically relevant against placebo, demonstrating in addition advantages of security.
Surgery
If the patient is in a final stage of the disease, specialists recommend prosthetic surgery as a therapeutic option.
Forecast
Although this disease is not very serious, it does significantly decrease the quality of life of patients. In fact, its prognosis differs greatly depending on the joint that is affected and the evolution of the pathology.
In addition, factors such as early diagnosis and joint prevention measures can contribute to slowing the development of osteoarthritis .
In general terms, the SER explains that the evolution of the pathology is slow and progressive.
How does it affect the patient's life?
Pain and lack of mobility are the main factors that affect and diminish the quality of life of patients.
Given that the disease affects mainly patients over 60 years of age, the functional limitation may increase the sedentary lifestyle in these population groups. This can promote obesity, and with it the risk of increased cholesterol levels , the presence of diabetes , hypertension , or other risk factors for cardiovascular diseases .