Rheumatic diseases affect your muscles, ligaments, joints, tendons, bones. You must have heard of the term – Arthritis – arthritis is a type of rheumatic disease that affects your joints.

What are the common symptoms of Rheumatic Diseases:

• Joint pain
• Loss of motion in a joint or joints
• Inflammation in the affected area
• Fatigue
• Lumps (rheumatoid nodules), etc

Rheumatology is the medical field that studies these types of conditions. If your GP diagnoses you with rheumatic disease, he’ll probably suggest you to a rheumatologist.

Common Rheumatic Disorders
There are about 200 distinct rheumatic diseases. The most common ones are:

• Osteoarthritis
• Rheumatoid arthritis
• Lupus
• Polymyalgia rheumatica
• Sjogren’s syndrome
• Gout
• Scleroderma
• Infectious arthritis
• Juvenile idiopathic arthritis

What are the causes of Rheumatic Disease?
Rheumatic disease is an autoimmune condition and hence most of these diseases happen when your immune system attacks its own tissues. It is not yet known what triggers this. Your immune system makes antibodies that attack viruses and bacteria and helps fight any infection. When suffering from rheumatoid disease, your immune system mistakenly sends antibodies to the lining of your joints, they attack the tissue surrounding the joint. The thin layer of cells covering your joints then become sore and inflamed, releasing chemicals that damage nearby bones, cartilage, tendons, and ligaments.

The reason could sometimes be your genes. Also, some researchers say it could be a result of cigarette smoke, pollution, or something that causes an infection. Gender also plays a role — rheumatic diseases affect women more than men.

How are you diagnosed for Rheumatic Disease?
At Fostr Health Care, we start by talking about your medical history and symptoms. Our doctors also carry out a physical exam. All this is sometimes accompanied by blood tests or the doctor takes a sample of fluid from an affected joint.

At times, an X-ray is taken which may show a narrowing of the joint space or the presence of bone spurs. In some cases, the doctor might request an MRI to provide a picture of the inside of your joint.

Are you suffering from Rheumatic Disease? Fostr Healthcare is a multispeciality hospital in Bangalore providing you with the best rheumatologist in Bangalore.