What is the differencebetween osteoarthritis& osteoporosis?

i have been diagnose with osteoporosis by 1 dr.
another dr. said it was osteoarthritis. what is the difference?

That's odd, because osteoarthritis is usually a symptom of osteoporosis...

Osteoarthritis is when the cartilage of your JOINTS break down, chronically.

Osteoporosis is when your BONES (including joints, and the cartilage that makes them work) become brittle and porous because of calcium being lost after menopause (usually).

The reason it is a symptom is because when you lose calcium and get osteoporosis, the cartilage breaks down in your joints... So, in a way, they are probably both correct, you should find a better doctor to diagnose you properly with both, that way you don't have to switch between the two.

osteoporosis is curvature of the spine
osteoarthritis is the loss of cushion fluid in your joints.

some of the letters?

one is where u start loosing bone mass and the other is when ur bones are weak

Porosis.

osteoarthritis is pain in the joints.
osteoporosis is a disorder causing deterioration of bone tissue.

Osteoarthritis (OA,) also known as degenerative arthritis or degenerative joint disease

Osteoporosis is a disease of bone in which the bone mineral density (BMD) is reduced,

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Osteoporosi...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Osteoarthri...

they tell you all you need to know.

Osteoporosis is when the density of minerals in your bones has begun to decrease and the bones can actually be more prone to fracture. This is pretty serious and can take a while to treat. Luckily it is not painful but can have the nasty side-effect of spontaneous fractures which can be painful and very serious. Your doctor can treat this with calcium supplements and some other meds like boniva. Osteoarthritis is when the cartilage covering the surfaces of your bones at the joints begins to deteriorate and the joint can become painful, especially during/after activity that stresses the joint, sometimes weather will affect this. This can be cause by trauma, wear and tear or something called rheumatoid arthritis. The wear and tear causes an inflammatory reaction that continues the process. There is no cure for OA but its symptoms can be treated with chondroitin sulfate and oral anti-inflammatories. You can have both of these conditions at the same time but they are not treated in the same way. I'd call the nurse of the doctor you trust most and see if she can ask the doctor to call you and clarify you diagnoses. Good luck!