What Are Rheumatic Diseases?

A rheumatic disease affects the joints and connective tissues. Arthritis, gout, and ankylosing spondylitis are just three of the more than 100 types of rheumatic diseases.

More than 100 diseases are classified as rheumatic diseases, including many types of arthritis. Arthritic conditions are distinguished by red, swollen joints and inflamed connective tissues such as cartilage, synovial tissue, and tendons. Other rheumatic diseases are considered autoimmune diseases, meaning that the body’s own immune system is turning on parts of the body.

“Rheumatic diseases wind up involving the joints,” says Kevin Deane, MD, an assistant professor of medicine in the division of rheumatology at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center in Denver. “That can be plain old wear-and-tear arthritis, joint problems caused by infection, autoimmune disorders, or crystal diseases, such as gout.”

The term rheumatic comes from the Greek root “rheuma,” explains Dr. Deane, “which means flux, but it’s come to mean ‘related to the joint.’”

By some estimates, 46 million people in the United States are living with rheumatic diseases, which are the most common causes of reduced mobility.

Rheumatic Diseases Overview

Here are some of the more common rheumatic diseases:

• Ankylosing spondylitis. This is the most common of the spondyloarthropies, rheumatic diseases that specifically affect the spine. Ankylosing spondylitis, most common in young adults, also inflames tendons in the hips, knees, and shoulders, causing pain and stiffness.
• Fibromyalgia. Millions of adults struggle with the chronic fatigue and pain of this rheumatic disease, which attacks the muscles and tendons that support your joints, causing stiffness and pain as well as sleep disturbances. Fibromyalgia is nine times more likely to occur in a woman than a man.
• Gout. About 2.1 million adults have this rheumatic disease, which is characterized by uric acid crystals in the joints — most often the big toe — that cause episodes of pain and swelling. Gout is more often a problem for men than women.
• Infectious arthritis. Some forms of arthritis are caused by viral or bacterial infections. For example, Lyme disease, which results from the bite of a tick carrying specific bacteria, may cause inflammation, pain, and stiffness of joints. Other types include parvovirus arthritis and gonococcal arthritis. Identifying these infections early means antibiotics can be used to prevent joint damage.
• Juvenile idiopathic arthritis. The most common arthritis in childhood, this rheumatic disease causes pain, swelling, and loss of joint function and may be accompanied by fevers and rashes.
• Lupus. Technically called systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), this rheumatic disease is an autoimmune disease. About 150,000 people are living with lupus, which attacks the body’s own healthy cells and tissues, causing damage to joints and organs throughout the body. Ninety percent of people with lupus are female.
• Osteoarthritis. This is the most common type of arthritis. It affects 27 million adults in the United States. This rheumatic disease destroys cartilage and bone, causing disability and pain.
• Polymyalgia rheumatica. This rheumatic disease is often a red flag of diseased arteries (giant cell arteritis) and can lead to headaches, inflammation, unintended weight loss, and fever. People with this disease have morning stiffness, aches, and pains in the lower back, neck, hips, and shoulders. These symptoms are due to damage to tendons, muscles, ligaments, and joint tissues.
• Psoriatic arthritis. This is a form of arthritis that occurs in people with the skin disorder psoriasis. This painful disease affects joints of fingers and toes and creates visible changes in finger- and toenails.
• Reactive arthritis. Also known as Reiter’s syndrome, this is another spondyloarthropy. This rheumatic disease is often triggered by an infection in the bowels, urinary tract, or other organs. People with reactive arthritis develop skin rashes, sores on the mouth, and eye troubles.
• Rheumatoid arthritis. Nearly 1.3 million people have rheumatoid arthritis (RA). This rheumatic disease destroys the synovial tissue — the lining of joints — causing swelling, pain, and stiffness throughout the body. Unlike other rheumatic diseases, RA symptoms tend to occur symmetrically — meaning that if your right hand is affected, your left hand will be also. Women are two to three times more likely than men to have RA.
• Sclerodoma. With this rheumatic disease, the body produces too much collagen, the fibrous material that supports the structure of skin and other organs. Scleroderma literally means “hard skin” but also particularly affects blood vessels and joints.

While all rheumatic diseases differ from each other in some small but important ways, they share one important characteristic: If you get diagnosed early in the disease, you and your doctor can devise a treatment plan that will help preserve your mobility and reduce pain. So if you suspect you have a rheumatic disease, talk to your doctor.

Source: http://www.everydayhealth.com