Rheumatic Disease Consultation Services
Rheumatic diseases are autoimmune and inflammatory diseases that cause your immune system to attack your joints, muscles, bones and organs. Rheumatic diseases are often grouped under the term “arthritis” — which is used to describe over 100 diseases and conditions. This does not include the most common form of arthritis, known as osteoarthritis, which results in a breakdown of bone and cartilage in joints rather than inflammation.
Rheumatic diseases can cause damage to your vital organs, including the lungs, heart, nervous system, kidneys, skin and eyes. Rheumatic diseases may result in conditions so severe that those who suffer from them cannot bathe or dress themselves. Additionally, a simple task such as walking can cause pain and be difficult or even impossible.
Most everyone has experienced muscle and joint pain from time to time. When your muscle and joint pain is not resolving as one would expect, a rheumatology evaluation may be needed. Our providers at EARC can evaluate your symptoms to see if there is concern for an underlying rheumatic condition.
What is arthritis?
Arthritis is a common term to describe joint related symptoms. Arthritis could be due to multiple different conditions. In general, arthritis is categorized into two different forms:
Inflammatory arthritis:
This includes conditions which cause inflammation in the joints. Such type of arthritis includes rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis, lupus related arthritis, and gout related arthritis.
Non-inflammatory or degenerative arthritis:
In such condition, there is no inflammation in the joints. One of the most common causes for non-inflammatory arthritis is osteoarthritis which is also the most common form of arthritis.
Diagnosis & Treatments
Our rheumatologists diagnose and treat many auto-immune diseases including:
Rheumatoid arthritis is a form of inflammatory arthritis, which causes significant joint swelling, pain and limited mobility of the involved joint. Rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune problem, where our immune system attack joint tissues, causing inflammation.
Rheumatoid arthritis typically affects small joints in our hand or the feet. Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic condition, which could lead to chronic joint pain and if not adequately treated could lead to irreversible joint damage.
Rheumatoid arthritis is treated with long term immunosuppressive medications prescribed by your rheumatologist. With adequate treatment, you can effectively manage your symptoms and decrease your risk of joint damage.
Other Services
- Biologic Infusion and Injections
- Joint Injection
- On site laboratory services