Although they have similar names and some common
symptoms, rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and osteoarthritis (OA) have very different cause,
paths of progression and treatment.
Below are the basic differences between RA and OA.
|
|
Rheumatoid arthritis |
Osteoarthritis |
|
TYPE OF
DISEASE
|
Autoimmune disease
|
Known as the “wear and tear” type of arthritis and is associated with factors such as aging, injury or obesity |
|
SYMPTOMS
|
Joint pain, swelling and stiffness; decreased range of motion; fever, fatigue and loss of energy can also occur |
Joint stiffness, pain and decreased range of motion
|
|
LOCATION
OF SYMPTOMS
|
Often causes swelling in pairs of joints especially smaller ones (both hands, both ankles, etc.) |
Usually affects weight-bearing joints (e.g, back, hip, knee) as well as the neck, small finger joints and big toe |
|
TIME OF
DAY
|
Generally worse in the morning or after long rest and lack of activity |
Tends to get worse with
activity throughout the day
|
AGE OF ONSET |
Usually occurs between 30 and 50 years of age, though can occur at any age |
Most commonly affects
middle-aged and older people
|
PREVALENCE |
Approximately 1.3 million people have RA in the United States |
An estimated 27 million people have osteoarthritis in the United States |
