Rheumatic Diseases
The term "rheumatic disease" describes a broad range of conditions that impact the cartilage, tendons, ligaments, bones, muscles, and joints (arthritis refers to conditions that primarily affect the joints). Joint pain, swelling in a joint or joints, stiffness in a joint that lasts for at least an hour in the morning, chronic pain or tenderness in a joint or joints, etc. are all signs of rheumatic diseases.
- Rheumatoid arthritis (RA)
- Sjogren syndrome
- Dermatomyositis/polymyositis
- Scleroderma/systemic sclerosis
- Ankylosing spondylitis