Rheumatologic Disorders

Here's a breakdown of some of the most common types of Rheumatic disorders: Inflammatory Arthritides: Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA): An autoimmune disease causing chronic inflammation in the joints, often symmetrical (affecting both sides of the body). It can also affect other tissues. Psoriatic Arthritis (PsA): Associated with the skin condition psoriasis, PsA causes joint pain, inflammation, and swelling. It can affect any joint, but often targets the hands, feet, spine, and nails. Ankylosing Spondylitis: This chronic inflammatory disease primarily affects the spine, causing pain, stiffness, and reduced flexibility. It can also involve other joints. Reactive Arthritis: Triggered by an infection elsewhere in the body, often the genitourinary tract or gastrointestinal system. It causes inflammation in one or a few large joints, often accompanied by eye redness and pain. Non-inflammatory Arthritides: Osteoarthritis (OA): The most common type of arthritis, causing breakdown and degeneration of the cartilage in joints. It leads to pain, stiffness, and reduced mobility, often affecting weight-bearing joints like knees and hips. Gout: Sudden and severe attacks of pain, swelling, redness, and tenderness in a joint, typically caused by excess uric acid crystals accumulating in the joint. The first affected joint is often the big toe. Autoimmune Connective Tissue Diseases: Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE or Lupus): A chronic autoimmune disease affecting various parts of the body, including joints, skin, kidneys, blood, and the nervous system. Symptoms can vary widely. Scleroderma: An autoimmune disease causing hardening and tightening of the skin and connective tissues. Different types of Scleroderma can affect the skin only (limited) or involve internal organs (systemic). Other Rheumatic Disorders: Fibromyalgia: A chronic condition characterized by widespread musculoskeletal pain, fatigue, sleep disturbances, cognitive difficulties, and emotional distress. The exact cause is unknown, but it's not considered an inflammatory disease. Polymyalgia Rheumatica (PMR): Causes severe pain and stiffness in the shoulders, hips, and sometimes the neck. It often occurs in people over 50 and can be associated with giant cell arteritis, a vasculitis condition. Bursitis: Inflammation of the fluid-filled sacs cushioning joints and tendons, causing pain and tenderness. Tendonitis: Inflammation of a tendon, the tissue connecting muscle to bone, causing pain and tenderness near the affected joint.