Francheska

Frankie167

Hi I’m 55 been having problems wth my joints for 5 yrs was told o/a mow been told inflammatory arthritis smuggling coming to terms with it need to find out more

[Deleted User]

Hi @Frankie167,

I see that you are being told that you have inflammatory arthritis after initially being diagnosed with osteoarthritis.

The main difference between these conditions is that most forms of inflammatory arthritis (such as rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis, and ankylosing spondylitis) are auto-immune diseases, meaning your immune system is recognising some of your cells as non-self and causing damage to your joints by inflammation - these can usually be diagnosed by blood tests. Osteoarthritis is damage to the cartilage usually caused by physical abrasion (wear and tear) - this is usually diagnosed by x-ray.

It is good to know what is causing your arthritis as the treatments can be very different. Hopefully with your new diagnosis you will be able to receive more appropriate medications and start to see improvements as a result.

This link has some more information about different types of arthritis:

https://www.versusarthritis.org/about-arthritis/conditions/arthritis/

It is understandable that you are struggling to come to terms with this news. The good thing about the Online Community is that you can connect with people who have been through similar experiences! So I encourage you to continue to engage in discussions - it helps you (and others) to know that you are not alone.

Best wishes,

Sarah (moderator) x