Definition of rheumatology - What it is, Meaning and Concept

Rheumatology is the name that receives the specialty of the medicine dedicated to the treatment of rheumatic disorders .It should be noted that these disorders usually encompass Under the name of rheum , a group of diseases and conditions that have the joint swelling as the main characteristic in common.

The rheumatology , thus, focuses on the study and treatment of various connective tissue and locomotor system disorders .The rheumatology expert is known as rheumatologist .

There is a wide spectrum of rheumatic diseases, each with different origins and developments.Rheumatology, in this way, classifies the different conditions in a series of large groups.If they are framed as neurovascular disorders , metabolic diseases , neoplasms , soft tissue rheumatism , connective tissue diseases , inflammatory arthropathies or degenerative arthropathies , as appropriate.

Within each of the groups just mentioned, there are several diseases that are of interest for rheumatology.Let's see some of them below:

* Among neurovascular disorders we find compression syndromes, erythromelalgia, Charcot joint, reflex sympathetic dystrophy and Raynaud's syndrome; * the metabolic or endocrine diseases that are related rheumatisms include biochemical abnormalities such as hemophilia and amyloidosis, but also hereditary diseases such as family Mediterranean fever; * the group of neoplasms, which are characterized by the presence of a mass of Abnormal tissue generated when the cells go through a multiplication at a rate that exceeds normality, can be divided into primary and secondary.Two of the main ones are metastasis and paraneoplasic syndrome;

* Some of the types of soft tissue rheumatism are intervertebral disc alterations, miscellaneous painful syndromes (such as psychogenic rheumatism, fibromyalgia and cervicalgia), lesions Juxtaarticular (tendonitis, bursitis, cysts and enthesopathy), low back pain, golfer or tennis elbow and oleocranean bursitis; * Connective tissue diseases are associated with systemic conditions, and are many.In this group we find systemic sclerosis, polymyositis, systemic lupus erythematosus, Sjogren's syndrome, dermatomyositis and polymyalgia rheumatica, among several other diseases treated by rheumatology;

* By inflammatory arthropathies we understand idiopathic, septic and rheumatoid juvenile arthritis, Felty's syndrome, gout and a group called spondyloarthropathies, in which reactive arthritis, psoriasis and associated with inflammatory bowel disorders, ankylosing spondylitis and syndrome SAPHO; * degenerative arthropathies include osteoarthritis, Bouchard nodules, coxarthrosis, thumb rhizoarthrosis, Heberden's nodules and dyscartrosis, among others.

Rheuma can cause tendonitis, bursitis, back pain, arthritis of different kinds and osteoarthritis, among other health problems that require the intervention of rheumatology to relieve pain and alleviate symptoms.

As rheumatic disorders can have multiple causes, rheumatology treatments are varied.In general, treatment of these types of conditions begins with the supply of ibuprofen , paracetamol and other analgesics and anti-inflammatories.

Although these common characteristics can be mentioned, it should not be forgotten that a doctor, in this case a rheumatologist, is the professional who should suggest treatment after reviewing the patient and conducting studies corresponding to allow you to establish a diagnosis and determine the steps to follow.

Taking Spanish medicine as a reference, Only in 1948 was the Spanish Rheumatology Society created, and four years later the Ministry of Education recognized the specialty of rheumatology.This society aims to promote study of rheumatic disorders, as well as problems related to them, always within the scope of medicine.