Rheumatic Diseases Resource Center
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Rheumatic Diseases

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Rheumatic diseases encompass many conditions affecting your joints, ligaments, tendons, muscles, and bones, including rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus, and gout. You might experience stiff, swollen, painful joints; warmth and redness around the affected joint; systemic symptoms like fatigue; and pain in the muscles, tendons, bones, and ligaments. Treatment options vary based on the diagnosis, cause, and severity, often involving medications, physical therapy, lifestyle modifications, and surgery. Early diagnosis and management are crucial for preventing long-term damage and improving quality of life.

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FAQ

What are the common symptoms of rheumatic diseases?

Common symptoms of rheumatic diseases include pain, swelling, stiffness, warmth, redness, and limited movement in and around an affected joint. Some rheumatic diseases have specific symptoms, like skin rash accompanying the joint pain, fatigue, and inflammation with lupus.

Diagnosing rheumatic diseases involves physical exams in which a doctor examines the joints, blood tests to identify specific inflammation markers and antibodies, and imaging scans to show fluid build-up, inflammation, or joint damage. Some, like lupus, are challenging to diagnose.

Treatments for rheumatic diseases include medications like disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARDs), corticosteroids, pain relief medications and creams, and physical, occupational, and hot and cold therapy. Assistive devices or surgery may be necessary, and certain conditions require a combination of treatments.

Some research suggests a balanced diet including plenty of anti-inflammatory foods and drinks, like fatty fish, turmeric, ginger, and green tea, may help manage inflammation, ease joint pain, and slow disease progression. However, diet can’t fully replace rheumatic disease treatment.

The cause of most rheumatic diseases involves many factors or is sometimes unclear. Some have genetic or family history components, but environmental factors, trauma, lifestyle, and wear and tear may also play a role.

Meet Our Experts In Rheumatic Diseases
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Everyday Health’s team of board-certified physicians and health professionals contribute to the creation and review of content, ensuring that the information is useful, up to date, and accurate.
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Beth Biggee, MD

Medical Reviewer
Member of American College of Lifestyle Medicine, Castle Connolly Top Doctor

Beth Biggee, MD, is medical director and an integrative rheumatologist at Rheumission, a virtual integrative rheumatology practice for people residing in California and Pennsylvania. This first-of-its-kind company offers whole person autoimmune care by a team of integrative rheumatologists, lifestyle medicine practitioners, autoimmune dietitians, psychologists, and care coordinators.

Dr. Biggee also works as a healthcare wellness consultant for Synergy Wellness Center in Hudson, Massachusetts. Teamed with Synergy, she provides in-person lifestyle medicine and holistic consults, and contributes to employee workplace wellness programs. She has over 20 years of experience in rheumatology and holds board certifications in rheumatology and integrative and lifestyle medicine. Dr. Biggee brings a human-centered approach to wellness rather than focusing solely on diseases.

Dr. Biggee graduated cum laude with a bachelor's degree from Canisius College, and graduated magna cum laude and as valedictorian from SUNY Health Science Center at Syracuse Medical School. She completed her internship and residency in internal medicine at Yale New Haven Hospital, completed her fellowship in rheumatology at Tufts–New England Medical Center, and completed training in integrative rheumatology at the University of Arizona Andrew Weil Center for Integrative Medicine. Following her training, she attained board certification in rheumatology and internal medicine through the American Board of Internal Medicine, attained board certification in integrative medicine through the American Board of Physician Specialties, and attained accreditation as a certified lifestyle medicine physician through the American College of Lifestyle Medicine. She is certified in Helms auricular acupuncture and is currently completing coursework for the Aloha Ayurveda integrative medicine course for physicians.

In prior roles, Dr. Biggee taught as an assistant clinical professor of medicine at Mary Imogene Bassett Hospital (an affiliate of Columbia University). She was also clinical associate of medicine at Tufts University School of Medicine and instructed "introduction to clinical medicine" for medical students at Tufts. She was preceptor for the Lawrence General Hospital Family Medicine Residency.

Dr. Biggee has published in Annals of Rheumatic Diseases, Arthritis in Rheumatism, Current Opinions in Rheumatology, Journal for Musculoskeletal Medicine, Medicine and Health Rhode Island, and Field Guide to Internal Medicine.

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Alexa Meara, MD

Medical Reviewer

Alexa Meara, MD, is an assistant professor of immunology and rheumatology at The Ohio State University. She maintains a multidisciplinary vasculitis clinic and supervises a longitudinal registry of lupus nephritis and vasculitis patients. Her clinical research is in improving patient–physician communication. She is involved in the medical school and the Lead-Serve-Inspire (LSI) curriculum and serves on the medical school admissions committee; she also teaches multiple aspects of the Part One curriculum. Her interests in medical-education research include remediation and work with struggling learners.

Dr. Meara received her medical degree from Georgetown University School of Medicine in Washington, DC.  She completed her internal medicine training at East Carolina University (ECU) at Vidant Medical Center in Greenville, North Carolina, then spent two more years at ECU, first as chief resident in internal medicine, then as the associate training program director for internal medicine. She pursued further training in rheumatology at The Ohio State University in Columbus, completing a four-year clinical and research fellowship there in 2015. 

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Samir Dalvi, MD

Medical Reviewer
Castle Connolly Top Doctor

Samir Dalvi, MD, is a board-certified rheumatologist. He has over 14 years of experience in caring for patients with rheumatologic diseases, including osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, lupus, and gout.

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Resources
  1. About Arthritis and Other Rheumatic Diseases. Johns Hopkins.