05/03/2021
While rheumatic diseases are often associated with joint pains and arthritis, there’ so much to know about these diseases. First of all, they’re a type of autoimmune disorders, which means they’re caused when the immune system starts to attack healthy tissues.
According to the rheumatology hospital in Jaipur, rheumatic diseases encompass more than 200 different conditions spanning from arthritis to osteoporosis and connective tissue disorder. They can affect joint tendons, ligaments, bones and other parts of the musculoskeletal system.
What are the most common symptoms of Rheumatic diseases?
The symptoms of rheumatic disorders may vary from patient to patient, depending on their extent and the affected area. According to the doctors at the best Orthopaedics hospitals in Jaipur, common symptoms of the rheumatic disease can include:
- Pain in joints
- Swelling in the affected area or other body parts
- Stiffness in muscles
- Limited range of motion
- Tiredness and fatigue
- Mild fever
- Sudden weight loss
What are the types of Rheumatic diseases?
Each rheumatic disease affects specific parts of the body and may cause different symptoms. While autoimmune diseases affect joint involvements, other types can affect other parts of the body. Hence, let’s take a look at some common types of rheumatic diseases:
Rheumatoid Arthritis:
It’s an autoimmune disorder in which the immune system starts to attack the healthy tissues. However, it can also target the tissues in joints. It can affect multiple joints at the same time, such as hands, wrists and knees. It can cause pain, inflammation and stiffness in muscles and can lead to joint degeneration.
Lupus:
It’s also an autoimmune disorder that causes inflammation throughout the body. In this disease, the immune system starts to attack and affect internal organs and joint tissues. Most people with lupus experience symptoms that mostly go away on their own. However, it can also become chronic and can lead to inflammation, severe pain and critical damage to the joint tissues.
Scleroderma:
It’s a skin disorder in which the tissues get harden due to the excess amount of collagen accumulating in the body. It causes tightening in the skin and joint tissues and a limited range of motion. In the majority of the cases, it only affects the skin tissues. However, systemic scleroderma can affect the internal organs, blood vessels and joint tissues.
Ankylosing spondylitis:
It’s a common type of arthritis that causes inflammation in large joints and the spine. It can also cause inflammation in sacroiliac joints and can lead to severe stiffness and immobility without treatment. It’s more common in men than women and may also cause inflammation in other body parts like the eyes.
Psoriatic Arthritis:
It’s an autoimmune disease that can affect the healthy tissues in the joints. It’s caused by a long history of psoriasis, a skin disorder that forms up scaly red and white patches on the skin. Common symptoms of psoriatic arthritis include swelling, stiffness and pain in sacroiliac joints. However, the pain is not limited to the affected area and can show up in various body parts, such as the toes and spine.
What are the risk factors of Rheumatic diseases?
In most cases, rheumatic diseases are caused by autoimmune disorders. In other cases, genetic factors and family can also put a person at risk of developing rheumatic diseases. The best hospital in Jaipur reported that other factors also aid in the development of rheumatic diseases, which include:
- Ageing: Some condition affects the people between adulthood and middle age.
- Gender: Some rheumatic diseases, such as RA and Lupus are more common in women, while others tend to affect men more than women.
- Infection: An exposure to infection can also trigger an autoimmune response and can lead to lupus or scleroderma.
- Existing conditions: In some cases, health conditions like high BP, diabetes and obesity can also put one at risk of rheumatic diseases.
How are Rheumatic diseases diagnosed?
Rheumatic diseases are studied under rheumatology and require a rheumatology Hospital in Jaipur for diagnosis and treatment. Therefore, the patient has to consult with a rheumatologist as they’re more equipped and train to treat these conditions.
They will check the patient’s medical history and perform a physical exam to evaluate the symptoms. They will also take a sample from the affected area and order blood tests and X-rays to check for infections and the extent of the damage.
At Eternal, only the best rheumatologist in India will examine the condition and oversee the treatment to ensure better outcome and faster recovery.