Rheumatology

WHAT IS A
RHEUMATOLOGIST?

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.

COMMON CONDITIONS

Rheumatologists deal mainly with clinical problems involving joints, soft tissues and the allied conditions of connective tissues. Sometimes these conditions are referred to as Rheumatic Diseases. Rheumatology is a medical specialty devoted to the diagnosis and therapy of Rheumatic Diseases. Many Rheumatic Diseases involve the joints (arthritis), but many are also conditions of the muscles, bones or tissues that support and move the joints. People often think that there are only 2 types of arthritis, but in fact, there are more than 100 medical conditions that affect the musculoskeletal system.

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.