What is the Difference Between Multiple Sclerosis and Rheumatoid Arthritis

The key difference between multiple sclerosis and rheumatoid arthritis is that multiple sclerosis is an autoimmune disease that causes damage mainly to the central nervous system (brain and spinal cord) of the body, while rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune disease that causes damage mainly to the joints of the body.

Autoimmune diseases occur when the immune system of the body cannot differentiate the body’s own cells and foreign cells, causing the body’s immune system to mistakenly attack normal cells. There are more than 80 types of autoimmune diseases affecting different parts of the human body. Multiple sclerosis and rheumatoid arthritis are two different types of autoimmune diseases.

CONTENTS

1. Overview and Key Difference
2. What is Multiple Sclerosis  
3. What is Rheumatoid Arthritis
4. Similarities – Multiple Sclerosis and Rheumatoid Arthritis
5. Multiple Sclerosis vs Rheumatoid Arthritis in Tabular Form
6. Summary – Multiple Sclerosis vs Rheumatoid Arthritis

What is Multiple Sclerosis?

Multiple sclerosis is an autoimmune disease that mainly causes damage to the central nervous system of the body. In this disease, the immune system attacks the protective myelin sheath of nerve fibers and causes communication problems between the brain and the other body parts. This eventually can cause permanent damage to the nerves. The symptoms of multiple sclerosis include numbness or weakness in one or more limbs, electric shock sensation that occur with certain neck movements, tremor, lack of coordination, unsteady gait, partial or complete loss of vision, blurry vision, prolonged vision, slurred speech, tingling or pain in parts of the body, fatigue, dizziness, and problems with sexual, bowel, and bladder function.

Moreover, multiple sclerosis is diagnosed through blood tests, spinal tap (lumbar puncture), MRI scans, and evoked potentials tests. The treatment options for multiple sclerosis include corticosteroids, plasma exchange, infusion medications (ocrelizumab, natalizumab), oral medications (fingolimod, dimethyl fumarate), injectable medications (interferon beta, glatiramer acetate), physical therapy, muscle relaxants (baclofen), medication to fatigue (amantadine), medications to increase walking speed (dalfampridine), and other medications ( for depression, pain sexual, bowel and bladder problems, insomnia).

What is Rheumatoid Arthritis?

Rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune disease that mainly causes damage to the joints of the body. In rheumatoid arthritis, the immune system mistakenly attacks the lining of the joints, causing painful swelling and eventually resulting in bone erosion and joint deformity. The genes and environmental factors such as infection by certain viruses and bacteria may trigger the disease. The symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis include tender, warm, swollen joints, joint stiffness, fatigue, fever, loss of appetite, and affected other areas in the body (skin, eyes, lungs, heart, kidneys, salivary glands, nerve tissue, bone marrow, and blood vessels).

Moreover, rheumatoid arthritis can be diagnosed through physical findings, blood tests, and imaging testing (X-rays, MRI). Rheumatoid arthritis can be treated through medications (nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, steroids, conventional DMARDs, biologic agents, targeted synthetic DMARDs), physical and occupational therapy, and surgery (synovectomy, tender repair, joint fusion, total joint replacement).

What are the Similarities Between Multiple Sclerosis and Rheumatoid Arthritis?

• Multiple sclerosis and rheumatoid arthritis are two different types of autoimmune diseases.
• Both diseases are due to the immune system mistakenly attacks own body cells.
• These diseases can cause numbness or weakness in the different parts of the body.
• They are treated through specific medications.

What is the Difference Between Multiple Sclerosis and Rheumatoid Arthritis?

Multiple sclerosis is an autoimmune disease that mainly causes damage to the central nervous system in the body, while rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune disease that mainly causes damage to the joints in the body. This is the key difference between multiple sclerosis and rheumatoid arthritis. Furthermore, in multiple sclerosis, the immune system mistakenly attacks the protective myelin sheath of nerve fibers of the brain and spinal cord. On the other hand, in rheumatoid arthritis, the immune system mistakenly attacks the lining of the joints.

The following table summarizes the difference between multiple sclerosis and rheumatoid arthritis.

Summary – Multiple Sclerosis vs Rheumatoid Arthritis

Multiple sclerosis and rheumatoid arthritis are two different types of autoimmune diseases. Multiple sclerosis causes damage to the central nervous system, while rheumatoid arthritis causes damage mainly to the joints in the body. This is the key difference between multiple sclerosis and rheumatoid arthritis.

Reference:

1. “Multiple Sclerosis.” Mayo Clinic, Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research.
2. “Rheumatoid Arthritis.” Mayo Clinic, Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research.

Image Courtesy:

1. “05 Hegasy Multiple Sclerosis Wiki EN CCBYSA” By Guido4 – Own work – Hegasy (CC BY-SA 4.0) via Commons Wikimedia
2. “Rheumatoid arthritis — Smart-Servier” By Laboratoires Servier – Smart Servier website (CC BY-SA 3.0) via Commons Wikimedia