Rheumatism - Causes and Symptoms

Definition

Rheumatism is a set of symptoms and disorders affecting the joint system. This term is in fact used to describe a transient soreness or the consequence of a rheumatic disease.

Rheumatism can result from abnormalities affecting the joint and the structures connected to it, such as bones, tendons, ligaments, bags, muscles and surrounding soft parts.

Rheumatism mainly involves pain of varying degrees and reduced functional capacity of the affected part.

Rheumatic pains can result from inflammatory processes (eg arthritis) and chronic rheumatic degenerative diseases, such as arthrosis. The disorder can be seen in the presence of ankylosing spondylitis, psoriatic arthropathy, connective tissue disorders, fibromyalgia syndrome and rheumatic fever.

Rheumatism can also be of metabolic origin, as in the case of gout, chondrocalcinosis (or pseudogout), obesity and diabetes. Possible causes include osteomyelitis, avascular necrosis, haemarthrosis (spontaneous, post-traumatic or secondary to coagulopathies), osteonecrosis and fractures.

Periarticular pathologies that can cause rheumatic pain include bursitis, tendinitis, epicondylitis, fascitis and tenosynovitis. Other diseases that can occur with rheumatism are polymyositis / dermatomyositis, systemic sclerosis (scleroderma), Sjögren's syndrome and polymyalgia rheumatica.

Depending on the cause, rheumatism can occur only in correspondence with functional stress, suggesting the existence of a mechanical problem (eg arthrosis, tendonitis, etc.) or even at rest, indicating an inflammatory origin (eg crystal disease and septic arthritis).

An underlying inflammatory reaction can lead to redness, heat and swelling. Furthermore, there may or may not be any accumulation of fluid inside the joint (joint effusion) and the pain sensation may also be irradiated due to the presence of a neuropathic condition.

The acute onset of rheumatism (hours or days) generally indicates a trauma, an infectious episode or a deposition of arthropathy (including uric acid, calcium pyrophosphate and Ca hydroxyapatite). If this symptom persists, however, for more than 4-6 weeks it may signal the presence of a chronic disease, such as an atypical infection, osteoarthritis, a tumor or systemic inflammatory disease.