As a general term, rheumatism is the name given to the pain of bones, muscles, joints and supporting structures around them. Rheumatic diseases can be classified as inflammatory and non-inflammatory. In simple terms, most of the inflammatory rheumatic diseases occur as a result of the improper functioning of the immune system, resulting in diseases that will damage the person’s own tissues. Our immune system is a system that protects us by destroying and rendering harmless foreign factors such as microbes and foreign bodies that may normally harm us. In the group of diseases called “Autoimmune Diseases”, including inflammatory rheumatic diseases, the immune system becomes unable to recognize some tissues of the body and takes action to destroy these tissues. Although the tissues damaged in rheumatic diseases are usually the joint and surrounding support tissues, this negative effect can be seen in every organ and tissue. For example, in rheumatic diseases such as “Connective Tissue Diseases” and “Vasculitis (vascular inflammation)”, musculoskeletal complaints may not be present at all, although there is an inflammatory disease in the internal organs, tissues and vessels.
Who is a Rheumatologist?
Rheumatologist is a physician who specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of inflammatory joint diseases and other rheumatic diseases. Physicians who receive rheumatology residency training (3 years) after Internal Medicine specialization training (5 years) are entitled to work as Rheumatology Specialists. Inflammatory diseases of the joints and any system of the body, metabolic and, in some cases, mechanical musculoskeletal disorders are included in the Rheumatology Specialization. Since a rheumatologist is an internal medicine specialist, he also has the infrastructure to solve internal organ problems (heart, kidney, lung, liver, stomach-intestines, etc.) that can be seen frequently in rheumatism patients depending on the disease itself or the treatments.
Diseases Diagnosed and Treated by a Rheumatologist
Rheumatoid arthritis
Spondyloarthropathies and ankylosing spondylitis
Psoriatic arthritis
Behçet’s disease (980070)
Connective tissue diseases: systemic lupus erythematosus, scleroderma, mixed connective tissue disease, Sjögren’s syndrome and dermatomyositis, polymyositis
Antiphospholipid antibody syndrome
Vasculitis: Polyarteritis arteritis nodoza , giant cell arteritis etc.
Familial Mediterranean Fever (FMF)
Acute joint rheumatism
Reactive arthritis
Crystalline arthritis (Gout, False Gout)
Infectious arthritis
Amyloidosis
Metabolic and degenerative diseases: osteoarthritis, osteoporosis, osteomalacia and Paget’s disease
Other systemic disease rheumatic findings of patients
