Rheumatism

Definition of the condition

The term rheumatism was used in historical contexts when referring to any of the vast array of
inflammatory joint disorders. It is no longer used in medical literature as such and the diseases
that are listed under rheumatoid disorders may be enumerated under rheumatism. The
rheumatoid disorders include those affecting muscles, joints and bones. Rheumatism thus has
two forms, articular or the one affecting joints that commonly includes rheumatoid arthritis,
lupus, gout, and spondylitis and non-articular or the ones that affect soft tissues, muscles and
lead to regional pain syndromes.
The more severe conditions lead to inflammatory rheumatic diseases that causes joint and organ
destruction. These are a leading cause of severe pain, disability and even death affecting the
quality of life and leading to several comorbidities or associated ailments. Rheumatoid disorders
do not include osteoarthritis. Some of the disorders included are rheumatoid arthritis, lupus,
gout, scleroderma, juvenile idiopathic arthritis, Sjgrens syndrome, spondylarthritides,
polymyalgia rheumatic, systemic vasculitis like giant cell arteritis etc.

Who is affected (prevalence data)
Inflammatory rheumatic disorders affect over 7 million Americans and of these 1.3 million
adults have rheumatoid arthritis. In Europe more than 100 million people are affected by
rheumatic diseases. This is almost one quarter of the whole population. It is seen from US
statistics that that between 161,000 and 322,000 adults have lupus and nearly 300,000 American
children suffer from rheumatic diseases, the most common of which is juvenile
idiopathic arthritis or juvenile rheumatoid arthritis .
Estimates suggest that one child in every 1,000 will develop some form of rheumatic disease and
8.4% women and 5% men during their lifetime will develop some form of rheumatic disease.
Even early teens and persons in their early twenties can develop rheumatoid arthritis. Women are
2 to 3 times more likely to suffer from rheumatoid disorders like rheumatoid arthritis and 10
times more likely to develop lupus than men. In women, rheumatoid arthritis most commonly
begins between the ages of 30 and 60. It often occurs later in life for men. The disease occurs in
all ethnic groups and in every part of the world and about 75% of those affected are women.
Females in Europe account for 60 % of diagnosed cases.



The mode of acquisition:
The causes of the rheumatic pain syndromes are diverse in nature, but most of the nonarticular
disorders seem to be induced by wear and tear or sustained use of the part in question. Few
scientific studies have inquired into the origins of tendinitis, bursitis, enthesopathies, and
myofascial pain, but most clinical observations suggest an important role for repetitive motion or
sustained muscle contraction. Repetitive motion can fray a tendon as it moves over a bony
prominence and can produce sufficient damage to result in an inflammatory focus. Bursae, which
occur at sites of friction, may be irritated in a similar fashion. Sustained muscle contraction may
result in ischemic foci in a muscle belly or near its attachment, resulting in tender areas
called myofascial trigger points. A number of observations suggest that inflammation of an
enthesis can result from local ischemia due to sustained contraction of its muscle. Rheumatic
pain syndromes can be induced or precipitated by certain patterns of musculoskeletal usage.
There is no scientific evidence to associate myofascial pain with an inflammatory response;
otherwise an acute or chronic inflammatory process plays an important pathogenetic role in the
remainder. Inflammation, whether initiated by known or unknown causes, is the primary event in
all the arthropathies except osteoarthritis. Even in osteoarthritis there is a secondary
inflammatory process that is important in the production of many of its symptoms. Especially in
the case of inflamed synovial structures such as joints, bursae, and tendon sheaths, the patient is
likely to be aware of the inflammatory process. Consequently, it may be possible to obtain a
history of local swelling, warmth and redness, as well as pain and tenderness. Rheumatoid
arthritis, happens when the immune system becomes hyperactive; the immune system attacks the
linings of joints, causing joint pain, swelling, and destruction.

References
Mandal, A. (n.d.). Rheumatism - What is Rheumatism? Retrieved February 22, 2014, from
http://www.news-medical.net/health/What-is-Rheumatism.aspx
National Center for Biotechnological Information (n.d.). Rheumatic Pain - Clinical Methods -
NCBI Bookshelf. Retrieved from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK267/