What is rheumatology uk

Hands, feet and wrists are commonly affected, but it can also damage other parts of the body. Rheumatoid arthritis can make your joints feel stiff and can leave you feeling generally unwell and tired. Psoriatic arthritis Causes painful inflammation in and around your joints. It usually affects people who already have psoriasis, a skin condition that causes a red, scaly rash, especially on your elbows, knees, back, buttocks and scalp. However, some people develop the arthritic symptoms before the psoriasis, while others will never develop the skin condition.

Ankylosing spondylitis Ankylosing spondylitis AS is a type of chronic long-term arthritis that affects parts of the spine, including the bones, muscles and ligaments. The symptoms of ankylosing spondylitis can vary, but most people experience back pain and stiffness. The spinal joints and ligaments and the sacroiliac joints the joints at the base of the spine become inflamed.

Inflammation in the spine can cause pain and stiffness in the neck and back. Sacroiliitis inflammation of the sacroiliac joints causes pain in the lower back and buttocks. Attacks of gout usually come on very quickly, often during the night. The symptoms of gout are caused by certain chemical processes that take place within your body.

In Gout a substance called urate and in pseudo-gout a substance called calcium-pyrophosphate dihydrate, builds up and forms crystals in your joints, which can lead to painful inflammation. Typical symptoms may include intensely painful, red, hot and swollen joints with the skin over the joint appearing shiny and peeling. Lupus can affect many different parts of your body. If your heart, brain or kidneys are affected, it can be much more serious, but most people will only have a few symptoms.

Many people will find that the symptoms come and go. Scleroderma Is a long-term condition that causes your skin to thicken and harden, but it can also affect your internal organs. It causes pain and weakness. Vasculitis Vasculitis means inflammation of the blood vessels. Patient appointments Request an appointment online or call one of the locations listed below. Provider referrals To refer a patient, visit our referral resource page to download our referral form.

Specialties Many diseases treated by UK Rheumatology, such as rheumatoid arthritis, are often more common and more severe in women than in men. Our expert physicians provide diagnosis and management of arthritis and connective tissue rheumatic diseases including: Ankylosing spondylitis Gout Immune complex disease Infectious arthritis Juvenile rheumatoid arthritis Myositis Polyarteritis nodosa Polymyalgia rheumatica Psoriatic arthritis Reactive arthritis Rheumatoid arthritis Systemic lupus erythematosus Scleroderma Sjogren's syndrome Psoriatic arthritis Granulomatosis with polyangiitis Vasculitis.

Providers Doctors Robert W. Lightfoot, MD. If you are unable to keep your appointment please call to inform our receptionist as soon as possible so that your appointment time can be offered to someone else. Please bring a list of all your current medications and dosages.

If you have had a previous rheumatology appointment and have been given a drug monitoring booklet please bring this too. You should also bring a sample of urine for routine testing. It may also be helpful to write down any specific concerns which you wish to discuss at your appointment.

Each time you come for a rheumatology clinic you will be booked in by our receptionist. You will then be seen by a health care assistant HCA or nurse, who will weigh you, check your height, body mass index BMI and blood pressure and test your urine sample.

At your first clinic appointment you will be seen by a member of the rheumatology team; this will be one of the medical team. You will be asked about your general health, previous medical history, what medication you take and if you have any drug allergies.

Any relevant family history will also be noted. If a physical examination is necessary you may be asked to partially undress. If you need assistance, one of our staff will be available to help you, and a chaperone will be available if you wish. Further investigations such as blood tests or x-rays may be needed before a further appointment is arranged.

Following your clinic appointment you may need to start new medication. You will usually be given a prescription which can be dispensed by any pharmacy, or you may be advised to consult your own doctor for this.

You will generally only be issued with a small supply of medication and will need to obtain further prescriptions from your GP. Regular blood tests are often required when taking many of the disease-modifying treatments used in rheumatology and it is important that you have these tests — you will be told how often tests are needed for your treatment program.

The blood tests are usually arranged at your GP practice. Sometimes conditions will not require further follow-up from the rheumatology team and if this is the case you will be discharged back to the care of your own GP.

More often, a further appointment will be arranged. The Weston Rheumatology Department is active in research and currently has a number of projects in progress, all of which help to further our understanding of rheumatological conditions and may lead to the development of new treatments. You may occasionally be asked if you would like to take part in a research study and we appreciate your help in this: patient participation is extremely important, not only locally, but nationally and internationally.

However, there is absolutely no pressure to participate if you prefer not to do so. Rheumatology Home. What is Rheumatology? What is a Rheumatologist? What kind of training do Rheumatologists have? What do Rheumatologists treat? There are over rheumatic diseases. Some of the most commonly treated are as follows: Rheumatoid arthritis Osteoarthritis Fibromyalgia Vasculitis Systemic lupus erythematosus Scleroderma Spondyloarthropathies Gout Polymyositis Infectious arthritis Polymyalgia rheumatica Psoriatic arthritis Bursitis Tendinitis Osteoporosis What might the treatment involve?

Drug treatments in Rheumatology Analgesics painkillers - such as paracetamol. These help to relieve pain. Anti-inflammatory drugs — such as ibuprofen.

They help relieve pain, stiffness and swelling in joints. Disease Modifying Drugs — such as Methotrexate. Find out more about living with rheumatoid arthritis.

Having rheumatoid arthritis can lead to several other conditions that may cause additional symptoms and can sometimes be life threatening. Making sure that rheumatoid arthritis is well controlled can help to reduce your risk of these complications. Find out more about complications of rheumatoid arthritis.

In this video, a rheumatologist describes the effects of rheumatoid arthritis and the symptoms and treatments. Page last reviewed: 28 August Next review due: 28 August There may be periods where symptoms become worse, known as flare-ups or flares.