* Aspects of rheumatic diseases that reduce a person’s quality of life?
– Rheumatism is one of the diseases that impair quality of life. Due to long-term (chronic) pain, weakness and fatigue, rheumatism patients cannot fulfill their responsibilities and have difficulty even doing their daily work and even self-care. Feeling inadequate and unhappy; It often leads to depression. Inflammatory rheumatic diseases affect not only the joints, but also many organs and systems. Delay in treatment causes disability and sometimes life threatening.
* What is rheumatism, how many types are there?
– Rheumatism is not a single disease; It is a term used in all kinds of health problems that affect joints, connective tissue or muscles. In fact, rheumatism includes diseases that can affect many organs and systems, apart from joints, connective tissues and muscles in the traditional sense. There are more than 200 diseases under the title of rheumatism. It is grouped under two headings as inflammatory and non-inflammatory rheumatism.
*Which are the easiest and most difficult types of rheumatism to treat?
-The treatment of rheumatism can be both very easy and very troublesome. The reason for this is that rheumatic diseases progress in different severity in each patient. While the same disease progresses with mild symptoms in one patient, it can be more severe in the other, involving many organs. The patient’s age, gender, and other co-morbidities also affect the treatment. First of all, correct diagnosis and determination of the severity of the disease in the early period facilitates the treatment.
* Is it more common in women or men?
– Rheumatic diseases are generally more common in women than men. While some inflammatory rheumatic diseases such as lupus (9 times), rheumatoid arthritis (3 times), Sjogren’s (9 times) are more common in women, ankylosing spondylitis (2 times) and gout (3 times) are more common in men.
*What is the incidence in the community?
– Osteoarthritis (joint calcification) is a joint disease that is most common in the elderly and causes the most disability. In direct X-ray films, 70% of those over 70 years of age have osteoarthritis findings. According to one study, a person’s lifetime risk of developing knee osteoarthritis is approximately 46%; The risk of developing hip osteoarthritis is 25%.
-Osteoporosis (bone loss) occurs in one out of every 3 women over 50 years old and in one out of every 5 men
– Rheumatoid arthritis, gout, ankylosing spondylitis in one out of every 100 people. Behcet ‘s disease; 3 out of every 1000 people develop lupus in 1 in 1000.
* Who is at higher risk of rheumatism?
Rheumatism can occur at any age and affects both sexes.
-The history of rheumatic disease in the family is important. One-fifth of patients with ankylosing spondylitis have a first-degree relative with the same disease. In psoriasis-related joint involvement, this rate is one-third. Familial Mediterranean fever, on the other hand, is a rheumatic disease with one-to-one transmission; First-second degree kinship is important. There is a slight familial predisposition in autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis and lupus. There is also a familial predisposition in non-inflammatory rheumatism. There is a familial predisposition in osteoarthritis, especially in hand osteoarthritis. For this reason, in order to be protected, it is necessary to get rid of excess weight and not to wear it by putting too much load on the joint.
-Osteoarthritis, which is non-inflammatory rheumatism, usually begins at an advanced age. However, congenital hip dislocation, short leg or occupational trauma, fall etc. If there is, it can develop at an earlier age.
*Which rheumatism gives which symptoms?
* A 10-question mini-test that will draw attention to the possibility of rheumatism in the person
Are joint pain, swelling, warmth and difficulty in moving without any known trauma a symptom of inflammatory joint rheumatism? (TRUE).
Is a sudden onset of low back pain a symptom of inflammatory rheumatism? (False-degenerative low back pain-non-inflammatory low back pain sign)
Rheumatism is the disease of the elderly (False- Rheumatism can be seen in all age groups. Many rheumatic diseases such as lupus, ankylosing spondylitis, rheumatoid arthritis, Behçet’s Disease, familial Mediterranean Fever
Does rheumatism only affect the joints? (false) Rheumatism not only affects the joints, ligaments, muscles, but also inflammatory rheumatic diseases, many organs and systems such as eyes, lungs, kidneys)
Does osteoporosis occur only in postmenopausal women? (False-osteoporosis affects young, old and both genders. Some drugs or some diseases can develop osteoporosis at an early age, and it is seen in 1 in 3 men over the age of 70)
Taking calcium and vitamin D can cause joint calcification. does it cause (No-calcium and vitamin D are very important for muscle and bone health. This term is used because the worn joint looks whiter on the x-ray, so it looks like lime-actually, the joint does not calcify)
Is uveitis (a type of eye inflammation) a sign of rheumatism? ?. (Yes—about half of uveitis patients are associated with a rheumatic disease).
Does it matter if there is recurrent abdominal pain, fever, chest pain, joint and muscle pain and it goes away on its own after 3 days? (Yes – these are symptoms of familial Mediterranean Fever)
Are recurrent miscarriage (pregnancy loss) and vascular occlusion with clot a symptom of rheumatism? Yes – it is mostly a symptom of a rheumatic disease called anti-phospholipid syndrome and is often vital)
Is sensitivity to sunlight, mouth sores, hair loss, white and purple fingers turning white and purple due to cold or stress among the symptoms of rheumatism? Yes, these complaints are among the symptoms that can be seen in many rheumatic diseases, including lupus.
Are dry mouth and eyes, dry skin a symptom of rheumatism? Yes-There are many causes of dry mouth and eyes, but if there is joint pain, it may be due to a disease called Sjögren’s syndrome).
Are recurring wounds in the mouth, wounds in the genital area, eye inflammation (uveitis), acne, painful swellings on the legs, acne a symptom of rheumatism?
Yes (These symptoms are common symptoms of Behçet’s Disease).
