What causes joint pain besides rheumatoid arthritis?
Many diseases in addition to rheumatoid arthritis may cause joint pain. • Osteoarthritis: The illness most often confused with rheumatoid arthritis is osteoarthritis. Although these diseases share the symptom of severe joint pain with reduced mobility, they have distinct causes and treatments. • Osteoarthritis is caused by wear and tear over time or by injury to the joints, which results in the degeneration of the hard, smooth layer of cartilage that normally covers and protects the ends of the bones. • Unlike rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis is not usually associated with activation of the immune system, so people with osteoarthritis do not have the systemic symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis such as fever and fatigue that are caused by the release of chemical messengers from immune cells. • Patients with osteoarthritis may develop bony enlargements of the affected joints, but they do not have the signs of inflammation around the joints, such as warmth, redness, and soft swelling. •
