[A congestive bout of arthrosis: is it an inflammatory outbreak?]

The arthrotic disease is frequently dotted with "bouts" characterized by a new outbreak of pain which may lead to inflammation and sometimes, for superficial joints, characterized by increased local heat and, mostly, hydarthrosis. But, the inflammatory component usually remains moderate and many clinicians prefer the term of congestive bout which, in addition, respects the classical opposition arthrosis-arthritis. Actually, this opposition is not so clear-cut, and it appears more and more clearly that arthrosis is a multi-factorial disease where, in addition to mechanical, genetic or metabolic factors, the synovial inflammation plays a major role in the degeneration of the cartilage. The findings of arthroscopy and pathology let to believe that congestive bouts are actually inflammatory bouts.