What is the difference between osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis?

Osteoarthritis is caused my mechanical means - prolonged, heavy use of joints and deterioration of the cartilage lining. Common in aging processes.

Rheumatoid arthritis is VERY different - it's an autoimmune condition and actually results in chronic inflammation of synovium (membranes that surround joints). Nobody really knows what causes it, but it appears to be an autoimmune disease where antibodies and immune response cells recognize and attack the lining of various joints, inducing massive inflammation and destriction of joints.

One of the best drugs used to treat it is an antibody that blocks TNF-alpha, a cytokine that is involved in inflammation. This is in contrast to osteoarthritis, which is treated with simple pain killers.

osteo is a breakdown of the bone.... where as RA affects the joints themselves.
OA can give you pain anytime....esp when stressing the joint or bone...RA hurts most esp when the enviornment is cold and damp...even without stressing the bones...do a google search
As said above Osteo is a breakdown of bones....

But RA is an actual auto-mmune disease! There is no cure.....and it affects internal organs as well (heart, kidneys, etc).

RA actually convinces your immune system that the joints are BAD and attacks them.

VERY dangerous disease. My mother already had 2 fake hips due to RA...

BTW - it is a disease which for some reason....tends to stay with females..very few males experience RA...
Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is not a condition of wear and tear. It is a disease in which your own immune system mistakenly attacks healthy tissue, causing inflammation that damages your joints.

OA is not an autoimmune disease. It is a condition of wear and tear associated with aging or injury. Your immune system is not affected.

The above is copied from the website below. There was a lot more info then this.
http://www.ra.com/ra/rastore/cgi-bin/pro...
osteoarthritis is a wearing down of bone in the surfaces where they join, and usually found in the hips, knees, fingers, toes, and spine.

Rheumatoid arthritis is an inflammatory disease that disfigures and distorts joints, and may affect other organs, besides..