Pathophysiological of Osteoarthritis and Rheumatoid Arthritis

Pathophysiological of Osteoarthritis and Rheumatoid Arthritis
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Pathophysiological of Osteoarthritis and Rheumatoid Arthritis
Pathophysiology of Osteoarthritis And Its Impact
Osteoarthritis, also called degredative joint disease, is a chronic disease which causes erosion of joint cartilage, and development of reactive new bones around the margins of subchronic regions of the joints, and this occurs mostly due to the disintegration of proteins and collagen caused by enzymes. It normally affects weight-bearing joint regions such as feet, hips, knees and lumbar vertebral (Wilkins, 2005). The disease is most common among women, with its signs starting to manifest from middle age; between forty and fifty years. As cartilage breakdown progresses, bits of articular cartilages become thin and eventually wear off, leaving the bones unprotected. Additionally, as disintegration progresses, osteophytes may also start to develop along the margin and eventually breaks off, causing joint effusion and synovitis (Wilkins, 2005). The pain associated with this disorder is mainly from a combination of fibrosis, inflammation, and articular distension.
The disease pathophysiological impacts are usually accelerated by occasional stress, poor posture, and obesity. Main symptoms include deep aching pain in the joints, inflammation, bone stress caused by erosion of the articular cartilages and body stiffness which occurs in the morning. In addition, there may be the development of crepitus that arises during motion and as a result of cartilage damage. The symptoms are normally experienced after stress and long exercises. However, these can be relieved by resting (Wilkins, 2005).
Pathophysiology of Rheumatoid Arthritis and Its Impact
Rheumatic arthritis is an inflammatory disorder of the connective tissues. The disease is caused by an increase in synovial fluid in the synovial membrane, leading to swelling of the joints (Madara & Vanessa, 2008). The disease may be triggered by a combination of viral infections, genetic complication and autoimmunity disorder that acts against cells of the synovial membrane. Even though the disease lacks a specific trigger, lymphocytes and plasma cells; antibodies located in the cartilage and synovial membrane, are said to play a significant role in elevating the disease. In Rheumatoid Arthritis, the antibodies and antigens combine to form complexes that lead to an increase in the inflammatory response that is marked by overproduction and release of synovial fluid into the synovial membrane, causing capillary permeabilit...