by Tarek Musslimani

Created on: April 01, 2010   Last Updated: April 02, 2010

Osteoarthritis is a disorder of bone joints that is often called also degenerative joint disease.  It is a common disorder of bone joints that usually affects old people in particular.  It is usually a part of the aging process.  In addition, it is usually a predisposing cause to disability in affected individuals. 

The characteristics of osteoarthritis is a destruction of the joint cartilage which can be progressive over the years.  It can also be debilitating to the individual who has this condition.  Medical changes which occur in the joint and which accompany the destruction of the joint cartilage are considered secondary and are not part of the main diagnosis. 

Osteoarthritis means that the joint has an inflammatory process.  This terminology is mistakenly used since in osteoarthritis the joint is not inflamed but is affected by a progressive degenerative process of the joints cartilage.  For osteoarthritis, the etiology is not known for certainty. 

It can occur possibly due to a trauma that can affect the joint.   It can also occur due to a systemic disease such as diabetes and hemochromatosis.  It can also often be predisposed in obese people, possibly due to the extra weight that the joint has to bear during walking and during performing exercise. 

This disorder can affect usually several joints.  It can also be predisposed by medications such as in people taking steroidal medications.  In osteoarthritis the main affect part of the joint is the cartilage. 

The cartilage in the joint usually has two functions.  These include: Synthesis of fluid in addition to providing the joint with the possibility for free movement that is free of friction.  In addition the cartilage in the joint allows the bone to tolerate and absorb the shock and weight of the individual by absorbing it.

The cartilage is usually and under healthy condition is elastic in function.  Thus these two previous functions are possible due to the fact that the cartilage is elastic in function.  The two factors that allow the cartilage to function normally are the synthesis of proteoglycan and the protein collagen. 

These two compounds are synthesized by the cartilage cells which are called chondrocytes.  The bone joint is under constant matrix formation and degradation.  Osteoarthritis can be triggered by a deficient function of chondrocytes in which the balance between

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