What is Rheumatology?

Rheumatology is a speciality of internal medicine that deals with diagnosis and management of rheumatic and musculoskeletal disorders.

What does Rheumatologist deal with?

• The Rheumatologist deals with clinical problems involving joints, ligaments, tendons, bones, autoimmune diseases,vasculitis and heritable connective tissue disorders.

What is Rheumatism?

Pain, stiffness, swelling in and around joints or soft tissues together is called Rheumatism.

What are Auto Immune Diseases?

Auto Immune diseases are those in which there is an inappropriate immune response of the body against substances and tissues normally present in the body.

Are Rheumatic diseases curable?

Most of the rheumatic diseases are chronic progressive. But rheumatic diseases are controllable with proper medication and vigilant monitoring. With proper treatment, Patients with rheumatic diseases can live pain free and normal life…

When to consult a Rheumatologist?

• Pain, swelling &/or stiffness in/around joints, muscles , bones
• Neck & Back pain associated with stiffness
• Systemic symptoms like prolonged fever,skin rashes , tiredness , recurrent oral ulcers , hair loss , photosensitivity.
• Tightening of skin over hands , legs, face , chest &/or abdomen.
• Dryness of eyes & mouth
• Fingers / Toes turning blue or white in cold conditions
• Weakness of muscles with difficulty climbing stairs, getting up from a lw position , combing hair etc.
• The department conducts consultations on outpatients as well as inpatient basis.

The department offers expertise in treating following conditions:

Inflammatory arthritis –
-Rheumatoid arthritis
-Seronegative Spondyloarthropathies ( Psoriatic arthritis, Ankylosing Spondylitis, Enteropathic arthritis, Reactive arthritis)
-Viral arthritis (eg.Chikungunya arthritis)

Osteoarthritis – OA Knees, cervical & Lumbar spondylosis

Connective tissue disorders – SLE/ Lupus, Scleroderma, Sjogren’s syndrome, overlap/mixed connective disorders, inflammatory myositis ( Polymyositis, Dermatomyositis)

Vasculitic disorders – ANCA vasculitis( Churg strauss, Wegeners Granulomatosis) , Takayasu’s arteritis, Giant cell arteritis, Polyarteritis Nodosa, Henoch Scholein purpura, primary & secondary vasculitis

Crystal deposition disorders – Gout, Pseudogout(CPPD)

Juvenile idiopatic arthritis – Arthritis in children

Arthropathies associated with infections, endocrine, haematological, metabolic conditions

Soft tissue rheumatism – fibromyalgia, regional pain syndromes frozen shoulder, Tennis elbow

Other services offered besides consultation-

• Arthrocentesis
• Intra-articular injection
• Biologic infusions

Special Tests Offered:

• Immunology panel :ANA, dsDNA, ANA blot ANCA, RF, AntiCCP, HCA B27 by PCR
• Radiological tests: Xrays, Ultrasonography of Joints,CT Scan, MRI , PET Scan, DEXA Scan(densitometry)