Comments on: What’s The Difference Between Arthritis And Rheumatism In The Way Of Symptoms?

By: W W D

W W D — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 08:29:03 +0000

They’re synonyms, and neither can be diagnosed with blood tests. There are over 200 recognized rheumatologic diseases, and each has its own set of signs and symptoms. In many of them, blood tests may be a component of the diagnosis, but there is no test for any that’s both completely sensitive and completely specific. The rheumatoid factor, for instance, is often found in rheumatoid arthritis, but isn’t present in all patients with rheumatoid arthritis, and it is present in some people who don’t have it. Its presence is only one of several criteria for the diagnosis, and must be combined with other clinical findings, a group of “major criteria” and a group of “minor criteria,” with enough of each present to support the diagnosis in a way that’s somewhat reminiscent of developing a meal from a menu in a Chinese restaurant.

By: piscesgi

piscesgi — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 05:31:51 +0000

Really rheumatism is such a massively ambiguous term that it is rarely used any more… Arthritis is really a form of rheumatism.
Wikipedia on the subject… (someone there has place this better than I could):
Rheumatism or Rheumatic disorder is a non-specific term for medical problems affecting the heart, bones, joints, kidney, skin and lung. The study of, and therapeutic interventions in, such disorders is called rheumatology.
The term “rheumatism” is still used in colloquial speech and historical contexts, but is no longer frequently used in medical or technical literature; it would be honest to say that there is no longer any recognized disorder simply called “rheumatism”. The traditional term covers such a range of different problems that to ascribe symptoms to “rheumatism” is not to say very much. Nevertheless, sources dealing with rheumatism tend to focus on arthritis. But, “non-articular rheumatism”, also known as “regional pain syndrome” or “soft tissue rheumatism” can cause just as much discomfort and difficulty. Furthermore, arthritis and rheumatism between them cover at least 200 different conditions.
You may be thinking of the difference between classic rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and what used to be described a ‘rheumatoid pain’ – which could cover a quite a few rheumatic diagnosis (including arthritis). There are some blood tests available for RA – although they are not 100% accurate.

By: joannie

joannie — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 23:55:42 +0000

rheumatoid arthritis is like a burning sensation, swelling, red, hands hurts to go.

By: watercress kebab

watercress kebab — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 20:18:32 +0000

Rheumatism
Rheumatism is the term used to describe any pain or inflammation in or around the bones, muscles or joints.
Rheumatism includes arthritis, which specifically means inflammation of the joints and is the name given to a group of over 200 diseases
Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic, inflammatory type of arthritis.
Rheumatoid arthritis is also classified as an autoimmune disease (immune cells attack the body’s own healthy tissues).The joints are primarily affected by rheumatoid arthritis, but there can be systemic effects (i.e. organs) as well.
Osteoarthritis (OA) is the most common type of arthritis, affecting many people in the UK. The most commonly affected joints are the knees, the hips, hands, feet, and spine.