Miehle W
Klinik Wendelstein, Rheumazentrum der BfA, Bad Aibling, West Germany.
Scand J Rheumatol Suppl. 1987;65:123-30. doi: 10.3109/03009748709102190.
In contrast to German-speaking regions, where the expression "arthrosis" is used, English-speaking countries prefer the term "osteoarthritis". The syllable "itis" indicates quantitatively variable inflammation which is present in each phase of the disease. In choosing the right expression one must also include new concepts of arthrosis regarding aetiology and pathogenesis as well as the quantitative aspect of inflammation. Since most arthrotic patients are now treated with non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, the question of the anti-inflammatory effect of each of these drugs is just as important as the question of their analgesic activity and neutrality for chondrocytes. Bearing in mind that some kinds of arthrotic pain are not induced by inflammation mediators, treatment with pure analgesic drugs would be advantageous. The latest concept of the pathogenesis of arthrosis involving interleukin, rounds the problem off. Perhaps the difficulty lies therein, in that nowadays we are unable to quantify the inflammatory aspect of inflammation. Only when we are in a position to determine pathogenetically-damaging agents in their negative potential and their proportional quantity, will we be able to answer the question, "osteoarthrosis or osteoarthritis?"
与使用“关节病”（arthrosis）这一表述的德语地区不同，英语国家更倾向于使用“骨关节炎”（osteoarthritis）这个术语。“itis”这个音节表示在疾病的每个阶段都存在程度可变的炎症。在选择正确的表述时，还必须纳入关于关节病病因、发病机制以及炎症定量方面的新观念。由于现在大多数关节病患者都使用非甾体抗炎药进行治疗，这些药物各自的抗炎效果问题与它们的镇痛活性以及对软骨细胞的中性作用问题同样重要。考虑到某些类型的关节病疼痛并非由炎症介质引起，使用纯镇痛药进行治疗会更有利。涉及白细胞介素的关节病发病机制的最新观念完善了这一问题。或许难点在于，如今我们无法对炎症的炎症方面进行量化。只有当我们能够确定致病损伤因子的负面潜能及其比例数量时，我们才能回答“骨关节病还是骨关节炎？”这个问题。
