Rheumatology
Rheumatology is a branch of medicine devoted to the diagnosis and therapy of rheumatic diseases. Rheumatologists deal mainly with immune-mediated disorders of the musculoskeletal system, soft tissues, autoimmune diseases, vasculitides, and heritable connective tissue disorders. Many of these diseases are now known to be disorders of the immune system.
Rheumatology is a sub-speciality in internal medicine, devoted to the diagnosis and therapy of rheumatic diseases. Rheumatologists deal mainly with clinical problems involving joints, soft tissues, autoimmune diseases, vasculitis, and heritable connective tissue disorders. Many of these diseases are now known to be disorders of the immune system. One of the major changes in modern rheumatology is the development of new drugs called biologics, or disease-modifying agents, which can control severe diseases more effectively.
Diseases diagnosed or managed by Rheumatologists include:
• Degenerative arteriopathies – Osteoarthritis
• Inflammatory arteriopathies
• Rheumatoid arthritis
• Spondylosis arteriopathies: Ankylosing spondylitis, Reactive arthritis (reactive arthropathy), Psoriatic arthropathy, Enteropathy arthropathy
• Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis (JIA)
• Crystal arteriopathies: gout, pseudo gout
• Septic arthritis