WHAT IS ARTHRITIS?

The word arthritis is derived from the Greek words arthron (joint) and -itis (inflammation). For people who have arthritis, the word variously signifies pain, swelling, redness, and heat that may be caused by tissue injury or disease in the joint. Although many people use the word arthritis to refer to all rheumatic diseases, the reverse is actually more accurate: the different types of arthritis are a subgroup of the many conditions that fall into the category of rheumatic diseases. Osteoarthritis is the most common type of arthritis. It is referred to as a degenerative joint disease, because it results from the deterioration of the bones and cartilage that make up the joints. The other main type of arthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, is an inflammatory disease that affects the lining of the joints, mainly in the hands and feet. Though it affects only one-tenth as many people as osteoarthritis, it can be far more debilitating. The other rheumatic diseases discussed in this report, ankylosing spondylitis, Reiter's syndrome, psoriatic arthritis, and enteropathic arthritis, are also characterized by inflammation.

Arthritis or Rheumatism?

Medical terminology often sounds foreign to the uninitiated, but the language of rheumatology, the branch of medicine devoted to the study and treatment of arthritis and related diseases, is especially confusing. This is partly because people have recognized arthritis since the dawn of written history and have called it by many names. People often express confusion about the difference between arthritis and rheumatism. Commonly, both words are used as catchall terms for any joint disorder. Rheumatism is an old term for pain and stiffness afflicting any part of the musculoskeletal system, including the discomfort of tendonitis or bursitis. Arthritis, on the other hand, is pain, swelling, and stiffness caused by changes in the joints, such as occur with osteoarthritis. Arthritis and rheumatism are sets of symptoms, not specific diseases. Any disorder that can produce arthritis, rheumatism, or both is broadly classified as a rheumatic disease.