When our bones or joints hurt, it is common to say: ‘I think I have rheumatism.’ But rheumatism as such does not exist. There are more than 200 rheumatic diseases that affect 1 in 4 people over 20 years of age in many countries, so it is not just an adult thing. The best-known are osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, and osteoporosis.
One of the most common myths about rheumatic diseases is to group them under the name ‘rheuma’, but there is no rheumatism. There are rheumatic diseases. Thus, no one would say, for example, looking at the sky that a storm is threatening, that ‘the weather’ is coming.
Yes, they would say: a storm is coming or there is a danger of snowfall and road blockages or it is coming for 3 days of extreme temperatures with the risk of heat stroke. Based on this, we shelter ourselves, hydrate ourselves, or protect ourselves from the sun. And this, therefore, also applies to rheumatic diseases.
We cannot say that a person has ‘rheuma’, but we must say that they have rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis systemic lupus erythematosus, or osteoporosis… There are more than 200 different rheumatic diseases and therefore different repercussions of pain, disability, risk of injury to internal organs, and also loss of work capabilities.
For this reason, it is important to go to the doctor or better professional services like CureMD Rheumatology EHR and have a correct diagnosis, define what disease we have – or rule it out – to apply the appropriate treatment for each one. Because they are all different and therefore, they differ, of course, also in the treatment: They must be named, distinguished, nuanced, and personalized for each person, for each patient.
Joint pain and other symptoms
If our joints hurt, what we have to do is go to the family doctor to evaluate us and decide whether or not he should refer us to the rheumatologist, depending on the rheumatic disease he suspects. It is true that joint pain is undoubtedly one of the most common symptoms when we mistakenly say ‘we have rheumatism’, however, there are other common symptoms of these diseases. Some of them would be the following: joint pain, muscle pain, stiffness when moving, crepitation or noises when moving the joint, fatigue, muscle fatigue, difficulty raising arms, and legs, inflammation articulate…
For example, in the case of osteoarthritis, one of the best-known diseases and which 10% of the population suffers, the main symptom is pain in the affected joint (hand, knee…) but there may also be deformity and functional disability. For example, if it is knee osteoarthritis, the person may have difficulty walking. In the case of rheumatoid arthritis, which affects peripheral joints such as feet or hands, the most common symptoms are usually pain, swelling, or muscle stiffness.
The key is, therefore, to go to the doctor to refer us – or not – to a specialist based on our symptoms and characteristics. Although sometimes we can confuse traumatology with rheumatology, the rheumatologist is the specialist in systemic musculoskeletal and autoimmune diseases, but if the cause of our muscular or osteoarticular problem has been a fall, an accident, a contusion, or sudden overexertion, they will refer us to the traumatologist. In all other cases, the rheumatologist is the reference professional.
They are not just diseases of the elderly
Another of the most widespread myths or false beliefs in relation to these pathologies is that they are something for the elderly, that is, they only occur in older people and therefore there is nothing to do, and there is no treatment. In fact, they affect people of any age – including children – and have treatment. All these myths do a lot of harm to people who have a rheumatic disease because they delay the moment of diagnosis and the time of using treatments that keep them in remission, treatments that improve the patient’s quality of life, prevent or stop deterioration, and “reduce disability.”
However, it is true that as we age, normal joints deteriorate. Just like the rest of the body. But rheumatic diseases are something else. They can affect the joints, muscles, bones, and different internal organs and are produced by various causes. Some of them are metabolic, inflammatory (sometimes caused by immunity as in the case of rheumatoid arthritis), or immunological.
Rheumatic diseases occur in children, adolescents, young people, mature people, seniors, and the elderly. They can affect the joints, muscles, bones, and different internal organs and are caused by various causes. In the last 20 years, scientific research has developed numerous drugs that can redirect and regulate in our body the alterations that cause rheumatic diseases. They are tremendously effective drugs and, together with other types of treatments, attention, care, and self-care, allow bringing a full life to many rheumatic patients.
Furthermore, it is important that, once the disease is diagnosed, you follow the medical treatment. If there is discomfort with the medications, it is much better to contact your doctor or rheumatologist than to abandon the treatment indefinitely. Finally, it is important to highlight that one of the non-pharmacological keys to the treatment of these diseases that is demonstrating benefits in improving symptoms and patient’s quality of life is physical exercise.
