Osteoarthritis - causes, symptoms, diagnosis, treatment & pathology

Osteo- means “bone”, and -arth- refers to “arthron” which means joint, and -itis

means “inflammation”, so osteoarthritis is a disease involving inflammation of the

bone and joint cartilage.

It was once thought that the “itis” part of osteoarthritis was a misnomer, and that

inflammation didn’t play a role in its development, and that it was mostly a degenerative disease

resulting from simple “wear and tear”.

Nowadays, it’s thought that inflammation does indeed play an important role in the

development of osteoarthritis.

Alright, so a healthy joint consists of two bones, each with its own layer of articular

cartilage, which is a type of connective tissue that allows the two bones to glide against

each other essentially without friction.

With Osteoarthritis, we’re really talking about one particular kind of joint which is

a synovial joint.

Along with articular cartilage, another important component of synovial joints, and where they

get their name from, is the synovium, which along with the surface of the articular cartilage,

forms the inner lining of the joint space.

The synovium’s composed of loose connective tissue, blood vessels, lymphatic vessels,

and on the surface—”Type A” cells that clear cellular debris and “Type B” cells

that produce components of synovial fluid, which helps lubricate the two articular surfaces.