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
Both words can refer to painful complaints affecting the joints or the musculoskeletal system. Arthritis is more specifically an inflammatory joint disease, whereas Rheuma is commonly used as a general term for various such diseases. Use Arthritis for a precise diagnosis and Rheuma as a general term.
Der Arzt stellte bei ihr Arthritis im Knie fest.
The doctor diagnosed her with arthritis in her knee.
Wegen seines Rheumas tun ihm bei kaltem Wetter oft die Gelenke weh.
Because of his rheumatism, his joints often hurt in cold weather.
