A Rheumatologist is a medical specialist who diagnoses and medically manages patients with arthritis and other rheumatic diseases. These are health problems that affect the joints, muscles and bones. These conditions may only involve one part of your body, but sometimes they are illnesses which may involve many of your joints and muscles and also your internal organs (e.g., kidneys, lungs, blood vessels, brain). Because these diseases are often complex, they benefit from the care of an expert. Only Rheumatologists are experts in this field of medicine.
Rheumatology
WHAT IS A
RHEUMATOLOGIST?

COMMON CONDITIONS

These include (click links for more information):
- Osteoarthritis
- Regional joint pain (e.g shoulder, wrist, ankle, back)
- Rheumatoid arthritis
- Psoriatic arthritis
- Ankylosing Spondylitis
- Non Radiographic Axial Spondyloarthritis (nr-AxSpA)
- Gout
- Osteoporosis
- Vasculitis
- Giant Cell Arteritis
- Polymyalgia Rheumatica
- Granulomatosis with Polyangiitis (GPA)
- Connective Tissue Diseases
- Systemic Lupus Erythematosis (Lupus)
- Sjogrens Syndrome
- Systemic Sclerosis (Scleroderma)
- Dermatomyositis
- Polymyositis
- Mixed Connective Tissue Disease
Arthritis-related problems include pain, stiffness, inflammation and damage to joint cartilage (the tissue that covers the ends of bones, providing cushioning and a smooth surface) and surrounding structures. This can result in joint weakness, instability and deformities that can interfere with the most basic daily tasks such as walking, driving a car and preparing food.
Medications
- abatacept
- adalimumab
- allopurinol
- ambrisentan
- anakinra
- apremilast
- azathioprine
- baricitinib
- bisphosphonates (Intravenous/IV)
- bisphosphonates (oral)
- bosentan
- certolizumab
- colchicine
- cyclophosphamide
Links
Patient Information
COVID-19 Information
Arthritis Australia advice for managing arthritis and COVID-19
Australian Rheumatology Association COVID-19 advice for patients
Australian Rheumatology Association COVID-19 advice for GP’s
Australian Rheumatology Association advice for COVID-19 vaccination and Rheumatic Diseases