Doctors who specialize in rheumatology are called rheumatologists. These can be specialists in internal medicine (internists) or orthopaedic specialists.
Rheumatologists who specialize in chronic inflammatory rheumatic diseases are internists and treat their patients conservatively. Orthopaedic rheumatologists, on the other hand, treat their patients with the help of surgical interventions. Their patients suffer from chronic-degenerative rheumatic diseases.
All rheumatic diseases have different symptoms, causes, courses and prognoses and are treated using specific methods. They often affect the skeletal muscles and the entire musculoskeletal system. Other rheumatic diseases, on the other hand, affect the entire human body.
Rheumatism is the generic term for various health disorders that are congenital, genetic or acquired and are associated with pain in
- joints,
- back,
- bones,
- tendons,
- muscles and
- ligaments
go hand in hand.
Many rheumatic conditions are caused by age-related wear and tear or result from injuries and accidents that the patient has had in the past.
Other possible causes are
Current medical research assumes that each of the rheumatic diseases is caused by an interplay of various factors that is currently still insufficiently understood.
All rheumatic diseases, which can also affect children and adolescents, have a severe impact on patients' quality of life.
The first signs of rheumatism are warm, swollen or reddened joints @ andifink /AdobeStock
The diseases treated in rheumatology are divided into 4 groups according to the wide range of different clinical pictures covered by the generic term rheumatism.
Inflammatory rheumatic diseases
These include, for example, rheumatoid arthritis (chronic polyarthritis). This is an inflammation of the joints caused by an autoimmune disease. In medicine, this refers to lifelong diseases caused by an impaired immune system: the body's own defenses produce antibodies against its own healthy cells.
Collagenoses (inflammation of the connective tissue), psoriatic arthritis (joint inflammation associated with the skin disease psoriasis) and vasculitis are also considered chronic inflammatory rheumatic diseases in rheumatology. The latter refers to pathologically altered vessels that are caused by inflammation.
Degenerative rheumatic diseases of the joints
The best-known example of this is osteoarthritis. It is caused by the natural ageing process or is the result of permanent overloading of certain joints or surgery.
Osteoarthritis affects the hip joints, spine and knee joints.
Metabolic diseases with rheumatic complaints
These include, for example
This is caused by an increased deposition of uric acid crystals in the joints.
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If left untreated, gout leads to changes in the joints and kidneys @ doucefleur /AdobeStock
Rheumatic diseases of the soft tissues ("soft tissue rheumatism")
They are caused by inflammatory processes in the body or have other causes. Fibromyalgia, for example, is a non-inflammatory chronic rheumatic disease of the tendons and muscles of the musculoskeletal system that is accompanied by pain.
Polymyalgia rheumatica, however, is the result of an inflammation in the body.
