Arthritis and Gout are more than just wear and tear of the human body or an old’s person disease. Both Arthritis and Gout associate with affecting joints that causes pain and inflammation. The nodules of Arthritis and Gout can appear to be similar, but their treatment is parallel to each other.
Key Takeaways
- Arthritis is an umbrella term for joint inflammation, while gout is a specific form of inflammatory arthritis caused by high uric acid levels.
- Gout affects the big toe, whereas other forms of arthritis can affect various joints throughout the body.
- Treatment for gout focuses on reducing uric acid levels, while arthritis treatment may involve pain management, anti-inflammatory medications, and lifestyle changes.
Arthritis vs Gout
Arthritis is an autoimmune disease that causes pain, swelling and stiffness in the joints, which can limit your range of motion. In arthritis, the body’s own immune system attacks the joints. Gout occurs due to elevated levels of uric acid in the blood which forms sharp crystals in one or more of your joints.
Arthritis is a disease that can cause pain and reduce mobility. There are types like OA, which causes infection or injury to the joints. It can inflame the natural breakdown of cartilage tissue.
RA is caused when synovium invades and destroys a joint which can lead to the destruction of both bone and cartilage inside the joint.
Gout is a disease that can cause when uric acid crystals pile up in the joints and cause intense pain, known as gout attacks. The high level of uric acid crystals in the blood breaks down the purines.
The pain and other symptoms take their shape because of the breakdown of the purines, which is an important substance present in the body.
Comparison Table
| Parameter of Comparison | Arthritis | Gout |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | It is an inflammation of the joints. | It is intense pain in the joints in the big toe. |
| Types of Disease | There are many types of Arthritis, commonly osteoarthritis (OA), and rheumatoid arthritis (RA). | Gout itself is a common and complex form of arthritis that can affect anyone around. |
| Symptoms | Some common symptoms of arthritis are pain, stiffness, and swelling in joints. In RA, most people feel tired, loses appetite, and may have a slight fever. | Intense joint pain in the big toe and other joints, inflammation, redness with limited joint motion. |
| Cause | When there is a reduction in the normal amount of cartilage tissues in the body, it causes arthritis. | It occurs when uric acid crystals accumulate and form in joints. |
| Treatment | Medication, Surgery, Physical Therapy, lifestyle changes, etc. | Medication to reduce gout attacks and to lower gout complications along with lifestyle changes. |
What is Arthritis?
Arthritis causes joint inflammation and certain other joint pains. Arthritis is used to describe many conditions that affect joints and tissues along certain joints that enter the radar of arthritis pain.
Arthritis is termed a rheumatic condition, and it can cause various symptoms and impairs the person’s ability to perform tasks every day.
The development of arthritis improvises certain factors surrounding the injury, abnormal metabolism in the human body, and infections that lead to dysfunctionality in the immune system.
The most common form of it is Osteoarthritis(OA), but there are other rheumatic situations of arthritis-like fibromyalgia, and rheumatoid arthritis (RA).
Treatment for arthritis aims to control the pain, reduce the chances of maximum joint damage, and improve the quality of life. A doctor is likely to suggest you a course of physical therapies to manage those symptoms of arthritis.
They also recommend medications and patient disease knowledge, and other supports.
What is Gout?
Gout occurs for a variety of its host conditions that causes a buildup of uric acid crystals in the body and affects mostly the joints and feet, particularly the big toe.
A person suffering from gout will feel swelling in the joints with sudden and intense pain or gout attacks and will feel like their foot is on fire.
Some people may have too much uric acid in their blood but no symptoms and it is called asymptomatic gout. On the other hand, for acute gout, symptoms develop quickly as there is a buildup of uric acid crystals in joints that can last for 4-12 days.
People who are middle-aged, post-menopausal women, have a high level of consumption of alcohol, has a family history of gout, suffer from high blood pressure and kidney disease have a high chance of suffering from gout attacks.
For some people, even their diet can be the cause of their gout. The medications to treat gout work in one of two ways: To relieve pain and bring down inflammation, and to prevent future gout attacks by lowering uric acid levels.
Main Difference Between Arthritis and Gout
- Arthritis is a common disorder that affects the joints and can cause inflammation, whereas gout is a painful form of arthritis.
- Arthritis causes pain and degeneration, whereas gout causes sudden intense pain in the big toe and other joints leading to swelling and gout attacks.
- There are various types of arthritis, like osteoarthritis, juvenile arthritis, and rheumatoid arthritis. Gout itself comes under the umbrella of a type of arthritis.
- The exact cause of arthritis is unknown. But the chances to develop arthritis increase if there is a family history of arthritis, have to play a sport that involves stress on the joints, or have autoimmune diseases. Gout is caused when there are extra uric aid crystals that take their form in the joints.
- Medication, physical therapy, and therapeutic injections are some of the treatments for arthritis. For gout, medications are there to reduce pain and swelling and to prevent it from happening again.
Last Updated : 16 July, 2023
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Sandeep Bhandari holds a Bachelor of Engineering in Computers from Thapar University (2006). He has 20 years of experience in the technology field. He has a keen interest in various technical fields, including database systems, computer networks, and programming. You can read more about him on his bio page.
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