Rheumatoid disorders constitute a large group of conditions that are broadly divided into two categories, namely inflammatory and non-inflammatory; both types are treated with modern methods of diagnosis and therapy at the American Hospital’s Rheumatology Department.

Inflammatory rheumatoid disorders involve not only joints but also muscles, visceral organs, and even blood vessels. The inflammation damage is secondary to an initial immune system disorder. Although environmental factors, hormonal causes or infections are generally blamed for the initial improper functioning of the immune system and the resultant attack on the native cells and tissues, the exact cause is mostly unknown. Although these disorders are diagnosed most commonly with patients between the ages of 20 and 50, they may also occur in children and the elderly.

At the Rheumatology Department of the American Hospital, we adopt a multidisciplinary customized approach, closely monitoring our patients’ symptoms at every stage of the treatment process. As is the case with diabetes mellitus and hypertension, rheumatoid disorders are chronic in nature which leads us to frequently use “biological agents”, a group of cutting edge medicines, along with more conventional drugs and methods. Based on our personalized approach, the creation of each individualized medicine regimen depends on the age of the said patient, their medical condition, co-existing diseases, if any, and severity and stage of the disease in question before treatment is administered. We can control these conditions effectively with clinical and laboratory follow-ups. We may not be able to always establish a swift diagnosis with inflammatory rheumatoid disorders since related symptoms may mimic the physical signs of other diseases; we aim to detect and manage the disorder at an early stage before the patient’s body has been irreparably damaged. Thanks to our experienced staff, ethical approach and our effort to monitor technological developments closely, patients are provided with optimal personalized treatment programs.
 
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FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Inflammatory rheumatoid disorders:

  • Crystal arthritis (gout, pseudogout)
  • Rheumatoid arthritis (RA)
  • Ankylosing spondylitis
  • Reactive arthritis
  • Connective tissue disease (Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), systemic sclerosis, polymyositis, dermatomyositis)
  • Vasculitis (Behçet’s disease, temporal arteritis, etc.)
  • Familial Mediterranean Fever (FMF)

Non-inflammatory rheumatoid diseases:
  • Fibromyalgia
  • Arthrosis
  • Soft tissue rheumatisms
  • Osteoporosis
  • Arthritis (swelling, redness, pain, warmth and limited motion of one or more joints)
  • Arthralgia and lumbar pain which is more intense in the morning
  • Pain in the joints (especially hands and feet) which is worsened by immobility
  • Morning stiffness
  • Recurrent mouth and genital sores
  • Skin rashes
  • Dermal sensitivity to sunlight
  • Recurrent fever and abdominal pain with no clear cause
  • White discoloration and cyanosis in the fingers during cold weather
  • Hair loss
  • Dry mouth and dry eyes
  • Fatigue, weight loss, fever
  • Recurrent redness and irritation in the eyes
  • Sudden-onset visual problems
  • Muscle weakness (while ascending and descending stairs, sitting down and standing up)
  • Dry cough, dyspnea
  • Clot formation at an early age