Rheumatoid Arthritis Support Group

Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic, inflammatory, multisystem, autoimmune disorder. It is a disabling and painful condition which can lead to substantial loss of mobility due to pain and joint destruction. The disease is also systemic in that it often also affects many extra-articular tissues throughout the body including the skin, blood vessels, heart, lungs, and...

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difference between arthitis and RA

linda50
linda50
Not too sound stupid here but I have ARTHRITIS IN MY KNEE....... but what is RA????? and how does it differ from art?
m06455
m06455
We'll RA is a type of arthritis.....it's caused by an over active immune system. Your immune system attacks your joints . There are over 100 types of arthritis and related diseases. Did they tell you what kind of arthritis you have in your knee? Is it osteoarthritis?
m06455
m06455
No ? Is stupid it's the only why we learn and it's wonderful we can all learn from each other here.
hilynnea
hilynnea
Darn it, someone posted a great website that gave you the difference between osteoarthritis and RA but I can't find it. Osteoarthritis is very common. I think most people suffer from some type of osteoarthritis as they age. RA can hit people young or old. You wake up stiff in the morning with RA but the more you move the better you will feel where Osteoarthritis is due to wear and tear on your joint over time. RA can come and go quickly without any explanation like M06455 stated it is a autoimmune disease. No one really knows what causes RA where it is easy to pin point how you got osteoarthritis. Genetics, over use, injury, etc.
2scicrazed
2scicrazed
In xrays the difference is quite striking. With osteo there will be a thickening, roughening, uneven growth of the ends of the bones. With RA it is the opposite - the ends thin and erode away as it being dissolved.

Since RA is systemic inflammation you will also get fever and extreme fatigue during flares.
debRAinOC
debRAinOC
This might be the article hilynnea was referring to:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/01/07/rheumatoid-arthritis-13-things-_n_805291.html#s219990title=Age

(Rheumatoid Arthritis: 13 Things You Should Know)
linda50
linda50
ok thanks everyone............... guess it wasn't a stupid question. I can learn so much from all of you. what a GREAT PLACE FOR HELP AND SUPPORT!
deleted_user
deleted_user
Just some additional info. RA is different from arthritis in that:
It is an auto immune disease (similar to lupus)
It affects all areas of the body not just the joints
lungs
tendons
heart
joints
etc
RA can go away completely after the first onset. I had a bad episode with it in my early 40's that resolved on it's own completely. I thought the doctor misdiagnosed it.

RA is a cause, arthritis is an effect. RA dissolves bone and connective tissue. It occurs with or without activity but there are things that can trigger it like over use of the body. Basically anything that can insult connective tissue can start an RA flair up in even unrelated areas of the body.

RA hurts about 20 times worse that Arthritis. I have both. I know the difference.