This site is designed for the patients who attend a rheumatology clinic. It contains brief description of common rheumatic diseases and their treatments. You can also find links to the websites of the societies/foundations, and advice on the exercise programs developed by the physiotherapist. Link to the “Medical news” allows you to find information on the recently published studies in the field. Conditions grouped below are going to give you a general idea about the field of rheumatology.
EXAMPLES OF RHEUMATIC DISEASES:
Inflammatory arthritidies:
- Rheumatoid arthritis
- Psoriatic arthritis
- Ankylosing spondylitis
- Reactive arthritis
- IBD-related arthritis (arthritis secondary to Ulcerative colitis or Crohn’s disease)
- Undifferentiated inflammatory arthritis
Osteoarthritis
Connective tissue diseases:
- Systemic lupus erythematosus
- Scleroderma
- Sjogren’s syndrome
- Inflammatory myopathy (polymyositis and dermatomyositis)
- Mixed connective tissue disease
- Undifferentiated connective tissue disease
Vasculitidies
- large vessel (temporal arteritis, giant cell arteritis)
- medium vessel (polyarteritis nodosa)
- small vessel (ANCA-associated, hepatitis C associated, drug induced, etc.)
- variable (Behcet’s disease)
Polymyalgia rheumatica (PMR)
Sarcoidosis
Relapsing polychondritis
Anti-phospholipid antibody syndrome
Hypermobility syndrome
Osteoporosis
Paget’s disease
We hope that this site will be useful for you.
Sincerely,
Dr. Larissa Lisnevskaia, Rheumatologist, Oshawa clinic, Oshawa
Valerie Rolf von den Baumen, Physiotherapist
DEFINITIONS:
Connective tissues diseases- connective tissue disease is any disease that affects the parts of the body that connect the structures of the body together. Connective tissues are made up of two proteins: collagen and elastin. Collagen is a protein found in the tendons, ligaments, skin, cornea, cartilage, bone, and blood vessels. Elastin is a stretchy protein that resembles a rubber band and is the major component of ligaments and skin. When a patient has a connective tissue disease, the collagen and elastin are inflamed. The proteins and the body parts they connect are harmed.
Inflammation – redness, swelling, and fever in any part of the body, often with pain
Arthritis – inflammation of a joint, usually accompanied by pain, swelling, and stiffness
