Common Rheumatic Diseases

Who Should Be Suspected of Having Rheumatism?

Joint complaints are often perceived as rheumatism. However, many symptoms other than joint pain can also be signs of rheumatism. Moreover, not every joint pain may be caused by a rheumatic condition. Sometimes the symptom of another disease can mimic a rheumatic disease. For example, infectious diseases such as Brucella, hepatitis B and C, thyroid diseases (goiter), and even cancers can present as rheumatic disease. In a group of rheumatic diseases called vasculitis (inflammation of the blood vessels), there may be no joint findings at all, and the disease may appear with symptoms related to the involvement of organs such as the skin, kidneys, and lungs. For these reasons, pain and signs of rheumatism should be taken seriously.

The main complaints that suggest a rheumatic disease:

Pain, swelling, and restricted movement in the joints,

Morning stiffness in the joints,

Lower back pain and stiffness that are especially more pronounced in the mornings,

Whitening or purpling of the fingers in cold weather,

Nodules under the skin,

Excessive skin sensitivity to sunlight and development of sores,

Hardening of the skin on the hands or anywhere on the body,

Weakness, inability to climb or descend stairs, inability to sit down or stand up, and muscle pain,

Sores in the mouth, sores in the genital area,

Frequent eye inflammation (uveitis),

Recurrent abdominal pain,

Dry mouth and dry eyes,

Unexplained fever,

Unexplained weight loss,

Unexplained skin rashes.

Most Common Rheumatologic Diseases

OSTEOARTHRITIS (Arthrosis):

It is the most common joint disease. It is caused by the deterioration of the structure of the joint cartilage and its loss over time. Since it does not cause an increase in inflammatory markers in the blood, it is known among the public as non-inflammatory rheumatism. It is rare before the age of 40. Signs of this disease are seen in three quarters of individuals over the age of 70. It most commonly occurs in the knees, hips, and finger joints. It causes pain, restricted movement, and deformity of the fingers and toes in patients. There is no ideal treatment. From time to time, pain relievers may be used. However, not gaining weight, doing regular exercise, and regularly consuming milk and dairy products are extremely important in preventing this disease.

RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS

Also known among the public as inflammatory rheumatism. Its frequency in adults is 1%. The disease can also affect internal organs beyond the joints. The disease most commonly affects both wrists and hand joints simultaneously. Patients experience pain, swelling, and inability to use their hands in the morning (morning stiffness), and deformity of the hands, in the wrists and finger joints. Besides the hands, the ankles, elbows, shoulders, and knees are also frequently affected by the disease. In diagnosing the disease, physical examination findings, blood tests, and joint X-rays are used in addition to the patient's complaints. Early diagnosis is extremely important, because if a diagnosis is made early and treatment is started, the risk of deformity and loss of function decreases.

ANKYLOSING SPONDYLITIS

A chronic, progressive rheumatic disease that generally involves the spine and causes painful symptoms. It is a disease that bends the patient's back and bends them forward. Although it primarily affects the spine, it also involves other joints, tendons (the parts where the muscles attach to the bones), and sites of attachment. Sometimes the eyes, lungs, and heart are also affected. The disease usually begins in the 20s. It is more common in men. Patients usually wake up in the morning with very severe lower back and/or hip pain. It is characteristic that the pain decreases with movement during the day. Positivity of a gene called HLA-B27 is helpful in diagnosis. Early diagnosis and treatment are very important. Pain relievers or drugs that suppress the immune system are used in treatment. In patients with ankylosing spondylitis, exercise, especially swimming, is extremely important to prevent the spine from becoming stiff. Patients with ankylosing spondylitis should move and swim as much as possible.

BEHÇET'S DISEASE

A disease characterized by painful ulcers (sores; aphthae) in the mouth and genital area, eye inflammation (uveitis), and skin findings. The disease is often thought to be limited to the skin only. However, especially in young men, it can involve blood vessels, primarily in the legs and lungs, and brain involvement, and can be life-threatening. Although the disease can be seen at any age, it most commonly appears in the 20s and 30s. It is important in our country and region because it is seen frequently and, if left untreated, can lead to vision loss, brain and blood vessel involvement, and joint involvement.

FAMILIAL MEDITERRANEAN FEVER (FMF)

It is characterized by abdominal pain, fever, chest pain, and joint pain and swelling that recur every few months and resolve spontaneously within a few days. It almost always begins in childhood and young age. It is a hereditary disease. Often one or more family members have been affected by the same disease. Its diagnosis is made primarily based on clinical findings. MEFV gene analysis can be performed as an aid.

ACUTE RHEUMATIC FEVER (ARF)

A disease that appears especially in children and young people, develops following an upper respiratory tract infection with Group A beta-hemolytic streptococci (beta microbe), and can involve organs such as the joints, heart lining and muscle, and brain. Problems in the joints and other organs usually heal without leaving significant damage, but they must be taken seriously because they can cause serious problems in the heart. The disease is known as the disease that licks the joints and bites the heart. It causes rheumatic valve disease that manifests in later years in the heart. It causes narrowing or insufficiency of heart valves such as the aortic and mitral valves. In diagnosing the disease, it is important to demonstrate that the patient has had an infection with the beta microbe. For this purpose, a throat culture and a blood test called ASO are used. However, not everyone who has a throat infection develops ARF, and not every elevated ASO means ARF. Therefore, patients must always be evaluated together with other clinical symptoms before this diagnosis is made.

SYSTEMIC LUPUS ERYTHEMATOSUS (SLE)

It is a disease seen especially in young to middle-aged women. It is a disease that can involve redness on the face that increases with sun exposure, joint pain and swelling, fever, weight loss, fluid accumulation in the lung and heart lining, anemia, kidneys, and other organs, and that can be fatal if left untreated. In some patients, recurrent miscarriages and recurrent deep vein thrombosis can occur, and it can cause blockages in the brain's blood vessels.

GOUT

Seen especially in men over the age of 40, it is characterized by sudden pain, swelling, and redness that primarily affects the big toe but can also involve other joints, resolves within a few days, but recurs intermittently. The main laboratory finding is an increase in the serum uric acid level. If left untreated, it can cause disorders especially in the kidneys. Genetic factors, protein-rich foods, alcohol, and many drugs raise the serum uric acid level.

OTHERS

Apart from these, there are many more types of rheumatic diseases. Scleroderma (bluish-red discoloration of the hands in cold, tightness of the skin, lung involvement); dermatomyositis (muscle weakness, weakness, redness on the skin, lung involvement); adult-onset Still's disease (fever that increases especially in the evenings, skin rash, and sometimes serious organ involvement); and vasculitis (very diverse in type and characterized by inflammation of blood vessels and, as a result, dysfunction of organs; Wegener's granulomatosis, temporal arteritis, and polyarteritis nodosa (PAN) are the main examples) are among them.

If you suffer from complaints that may involve a rheumatic disease, you must consult your doctor. CLICK HERE for detailed information and appointments.