21/07/2025
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What's the difference between rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis?
OA is more common than RA. Both OA and RA involve inflammation in the joints, but the inflammation in RA is much greater. However, recently healthcare professionals believed that inflammation was not present in OA.
OA and RA share some symptoms. RA can affect multiple joints in a subtype called polyarticular arthritis, and it tends to affect the body symmetrically. OA usually affects a few joints and typically occurs on only one side of the body.
Let’s look at the similarities and differences between RA and OA, including their symptoms, causes, and treatments.
Rheumatoid arthritis
RA is an autoimmune disease. It occurs when a person’s immune system mistakenly attacks healthy tissues in the joints. This immune response involves both genetic and environmental factors, including cigarette smoking.
Osteoarthritis
In OA, the protective cartilage gradually wears down and the bones begin to scrape against one another. This wear and tear can result from repetitive movements, such as in sports, that place pressure on the joints.
Symptoms
RA and OA share several symptoms including:
• joint pain
• stiffness in joints
• swelling, which is more severe in RA
• restricted mobility in affected joints
• symptoms that are worse in the morning
The symptoms of RA may arise and get worse quickly, sometimes within a few weeks, however, the symptoms of OA appear more slowly, as the protective tissues in the joints gradually break down. However, OA stressors, such as going for a hike, may cause a sudden, severe swelling in the knee.
Both OA and RA can affect any joint in the body. OA is most likely to affect the knees and the small finger and thumb joints. RA often occurs in the hands, fingers, elbows, knees, feet, and hips, and it usually occurs in the same joints on both sides of the body.
The symptoms of RA usually affect the joints on both sides of the body. For example, if RA affects one hand, it also affects the other hand. OA often only affects one side of the body. OA is localized, as it only affects the joint and its surrounding tissues. For this reason, OA typically only affects one joint, while RA commonly affects multiple joints.
A key difference between these forms of arthritis is that Rheumatoid Arthritis involves a range of systemic symptoms, which are symptoms that affect the entire body.
Symptoms that affect people with RA include:
• Fatigue
• Fever
• Loss of appetite
• weight loss
• inflammation in other areas, such as the eyes and lungs
• rheumatoid nodules
OA is not associated with systemic symptoms, but people with the condition can develop bone spurs or other bone abnormalities. For instance, OA in the hands can often cause small lumps to develop around the ends of the finger joints.
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