Rheumatism
Other names: Rheumatic disease
Inflammation ofsynovial membrane of the finger joint in case ofrheumatoid arthritis.
Specialty	Rheumatology
Complications	Amplified musculoskeletal pain syndrome[1]
Treatment	None. Managing of symptoms only

Rheumatism^[2] orrheumatic disorders are conditions causingchronic, often intermittent pain affecting thejoints orconnective tissue.^[3] Rheumatism does not designate any specific disorder, but covers at least 200 different conditions, includingarthritis and "non-articular rheumatism", also known as "regional pain syndrome" or "soft tissue rheumatism".^[4][5] There is a close overlap between the termsoft tissue disorder and rheumatism.^[6] Sometimes the term "soft tissue rheumatic disorders" is used to describe these conditions.^[7]

The term "Rheumatic Diseases" is used inMeSH to refer toconnective tissue disorders.^[8] The branch of medicine devoted to the diagnosis and therapy of rheumatism is calledrheumatology.^[9]

Types

Many rheumatic disorders of chronic, intermittentpain (includingjoint pain,neck pain orback pain) have historically been caused by infectious diseases. Theiretiology was unknown until the 20th century and not treatable. Postinfectious arthritis, also known asreactive arthritis, andrheumatic fever are other examples.

In the United States, major rheumatic disorders are divided into 10 major categories based on the nomenclature and classification proposed by theAmerican College of Rheumatology (ACR) in 1983.^[11]

• Diffuse connective tissue diseases
  • Rheumatoid arthritis
  • Juvenile arthritis
  • Systemic lupus erythematosus
  • Sjögren syndrome
  • Scleroderma
  • Polymyositis
  • Dermatomyositis
  • Behçet's disease
  • Relapsing polychondritis^[12]
• Arthritis associated with spondylitis (i.e. spondarthritis)
  • Ankylosing spondylitis
  • Reactive arthritis
  • Psoriatic arthritis^[13]
• Osteoarthritis (i.e. osteoarthrosis, degenerative joint disease)
• Rheumatic syndromes associated with infectious agents (direct and indirect or reactive)
• Metabolic and endocrine diseases associated with rheumatic states
  • Gout,pseudogout
• Neoplasms
• Neurovascular disorders
• Bone and cartilage disorders
• Extraarticular disorders
  • Bursitis/Tendinitis of the shoulder, wrist, biceps, leg, knee cap (patella), ankle, hip, and Achilles tendon
  • Capsulitis
• Miscellaneous disorders associated with articular manifestations
  • Palindromic rheumatism is thought to be a form ofrheumatoid arthritis.^[14]

Diagnosis

Blood and urine tests will measure levels of creatinine and uric acid to determine kidney function, an elevation of theESR andCRP is possible. After a purine-restricted diet, another urine test will help determine whether the body is producing too much uric acid or the body isn't excreting enough uric acid.Rheumatoid factor may be present, especially in the group that is likely to developrheumatoid arthritis. A fine needle is used to draw fluid from a joint to determine if there is any build-up of fluid. The presence of uric acid crystals in the fluid would indicate gout. In many cases there may be no specific test, and it is often a case of eliminating other conditions before getting a correct diagnosis.

Management

Initial therapy of the major rheumatological diseases is withanalgesics, such asparacetamol andnon-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). Steroids, especiallyglucocorticoids, and stronger analgesics are often required for more severe cases.^[15]

Etymology

The termrheumatism stems from theLate Latinrheumatismus, ultimately from Greek ῥευματίζομαι "to suffer from a flux", withrheum meaning bodily fluids, i.e., any discharge of blood or bodily fluid.

Before the17th century, the joint pain which was thought to be caused by viscoushumours seeping into the joints was always referred to asgout, a word adopted inMiddle English fromOld Frenchgote "a drop; the gout, rheumatism".^{[citation needed]}

The English termrheumatism in the current sense has been in use since the late 17th century, as it was believed that chronic joint pain was caused by excessive flow ofrheum which means bodily fluids into a joint.^[16]

See also

• Corbett's electrostatic machine

References

Further reading

• Callan, Margaret (2011).The Rheumatology Handbook. 15th World Congress of Pain Clinicians, (WSPC 2012) (Illustrated ed.).World Scientific.ISBN 978-1-84816-320-1.Archived from the original on 2024-10-06. Retrieved2024-03-18.

External links

• American College of RheumatologyArchived 2024-03-24 at theWayback Machine
• National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases - US National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases

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