arthritis
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arthritis
A medical term for an inflammatory disease of one or more joints, often associated with pain, swelling, and stiffness.
Meine Großmutter leidet an Arthritis in den Fingern und kann deshalb nur schwer stricken.
My grandmother suffers from arthritis in her fingers and therefore has difficulty knitting.
The word comes from Greek and is used internationally in medicine. In German, the ending '-itis' always denotes an inflammation, as in 'Bronchitis' (inflammation of the bronchi).
Die Ärztin diagnostizierte eine leichte Arthritis im Kniegelenk.
The doctor diagnosed mild arthritis in the knee joint.
You say that someone 'Arthritis hat' (has arthritis) or, to emphasize the suffering, 'an Arthritis leidet' (suffers from arthritis). The combination with 'leiden an' (to suffer from) is very common for illnesses.
Er leidet seit Jahren an schwerer Arthritis.
He has suffered from severe arthritis for years.
To name the affected body part, the preposition 'in' is used with the dative. For example, one has 'Arthritis in den Fingern' (arthritis in the fingers) or 'in der Hüfte' (in the hip).
Besonders im Winter hat sie starke Schmerzen durch die Arthritis in ihren Händen.
Especially in winter, she has severe pain from the arthritis in her hands.
rheumatism
'Arthritis' and 'Rheuma' both have to do with pain and problems in the musculoskeletal system, especially often in the joints. 'Arthritis' is more precise: it refers to inflammation in one or more joints. 'Rheuma' is broader and is used as a general term for various diseases of the joints, muscles, tendons, or bones. The words can be confused because pain and inflammation can occur with both. If joint inflammation is meant, 'Arthritis' is more precise. If you are speaking generally about such painful conditions, 'Rheuma' is more appropriate.
Die Ärztin sagt, dass die Schwellung im Knie von einer Arthritis kommt.
The doctor says that the swelling in the knee comes from arthritis.
Rheuma macht ihm besonders an kalten Tagen starke Schmerzen in den Händen.
Rheumatism causes him severe pain in his hands, especially on cold days.