• Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is the most common type of autoimmune arthritis. It is caused when the immune system (the body’s defense system) is not working properly. RA causes pain and swelling in the wrist and small joints of the hand and feet.

• Treatments for RA can stop joint pain and swelling. Treatment also prevents joint damage. Early treatment will give better long term results.

• Regular low-impact exercises, such as walking, and exercises can increase muscle strength. This will improve your overall health and lower pressure on your joints.

• Studies show that people who receive early treatment for RA feel better sooner and more often, and are more likely to lead an active life. They also are less likely to have the type of joint damage that leads to joint replacement.

• It is important to get the help of a rheumatologist. A rheumatologist is a doctor who treats arthritis and autoimmune disease. There are diseases that can be mistaken for RA. It is important to get the correct diagnosis without unnecessary testing. A rheumatologist will help find a treatment plan that is best for your disease.

• Sun exposure can lead to lupus flares.

• Involvement of the kidneys or/and the brain is the most serious manifestation of lupus.

• Treatment depends on the organs involved.

• Lupus can affect children; in fact, 20% of patients with lupus are children.

• Lupus occurs ten times more often in women than in men.

• Though some of the joint changes are irreversible, most patients will not need joint replacement surgery.

• OA symptoms (what you feel) can vary greatly among patients. 

• A rheumatologist can detect arthritis and prescribe the proper treatment. The goal of treatment in OA is to reduce pain and improve function.

• Exercise is an important part of OA treatment, because it can decrease joint pain and improve function. 

• At present, there is no treatment that can reverse the damage of OA in the joints. Researchers are trying to find ways to slow or reverse this joint damage.

• Osteoporosis results from a loss of bone mass (measured as bone density) and from a change in bone structure. Many factors will raise your risk of developing osteoporosis and breaking a bone. You can change some of these risk factors, but not others. Recognizing your risk factors is important so you can take steps to prevent this condition or treat it before it becomes worse.

• Age is not the only risk factor for osteoporosis. Lifestyle choices, certain diseases and even medications can lead to this condition. 

• A simple test known as a bone density scan, or DEXA, can give important information about your bone health.

• Newer medications can slow and even stop the progression of bones getting weaker, and can help decrease fracture risk.

• Vasculitis can range from mild to life-threatening.

• Early detection and treatment of severe vasculitis can prevent permanent damage. Detection of vasculitis most often requires blood tests, biopsy of affected tissue or angiography.

• Vasculitic diseases are inflammatory health problems that often need treatment with medications such as glucocorticoids.

• Patients also may be prescribed other medicines that suppress the immune system. These can help severe disease or let patients take lower doses of glucocorticoids.

• Intensely painful, swelling joints (most often in the big toe or other part of the foot) and/or bouts of arthritis that come and go may indicate gout.

• Finding the characteristic crystals in the fluid of joints allows health care providers to correctly diagnose gout.

• Gout treatments exist, but therapy should be tailored for each person. Treatment choices depend on kidney function, other health problems, personal preferences and other factors.

• Patients may need medications to lower their elevated blood uric acid levels that predispose to gout.

• Gout treatment aims for a uric acid level of 6 mg/ dL or lower to dissolve or prevent crystals.

• There are two types of medicine for gout. For control of acute attacks of joint pain, there are NSAIDs, colchicine and corticosteroids. After gout flares have resolved, there are medications that can lower the level of uric acid over time in order to prevent or lessen attacks.

• Lifestyle changes such as controlling weight, limiting alcohol intake and limiting meals with meats and fish rich in purines also can help control gout.

• Polymyositis and dermatomyositis occur in about one person per 100,000. 

• All ages can get these diseases. 

• Weakness in the large muscles around the neck, shoulders and hips.

• Myopathy almost always causes loss of muscle strength. 

• Some patients also have rashes or breathing problems, or both. 

• Treatment is most often effective. Following your doctor’s treatment plan is key to having a good outcome.

​

• Amplified Musculoskeletal Pain Syndrome (AMPS) (new)

• Antinuclear Antibodies (ANA)

• Antiphospholipid Syndrome

• Calcium Pyrophosphate Deposition (CPPD)

• Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

• Chronic Recurrent Multifocal Osteomyelitis (CRMO) (new)  

• Cryopyrin-Associated Autoinflammatory Syndrome (CAPS) (Pediatric)

• Dermatomyositis (Juvenile)

• Familial Mediterranean Fever

• Fibromyalgia 

• Giant Cell Arteritis

• Glucocorticoid-induced Osteoporosis

• Granulomatosis with Polyangitis (Wegener's)

• HCV & Rheumatic Diseases

• Henoch Schönlein Purpura (HSP) (Pediatric) (new)

• HIV & Rheumatic Diseases

• Hyperimmunoglobulin D Syndrome (HIDS) / Mevalonate kinase deficiency (MKD)

• Hypermobility (Pediatric)

• IgG4-Related Disease (IgG4-RD)(new)  

• Inflammatory Myopathies

• Juvenile Arthritis (JIA) 

• Juvenile Dermatomyositis (JDM) 

• Kawasaki Disease (KD) (new)

• Localized Scleroderma (Pediatric)

• Lyme Disease

• Metabolic Myopathies

• Osteonecrosis

• Osteonecrosis of the Jaw (ONJ)

• Paget's Disease of Bone

• Periodic Fever, Aphthous Stomatitis, Pharyngitis, Adenitis Syndrome (PFAPA) (Pediatric)

• Polymyalgia Rheumatica

• Psoriatic Arthritis (PsA) 

• Raynaud's Phenomenon

• Reactive Arthritis

• Scleroderma

• Sjögren's Syndrome

• Spinal Stenosis

• Spondyloarthritis 

• Takayasu's Arteritis

• Tendinitis & Bursitis

• Tumor Necrosis Factor Receptor Associated Periodic Syndrome (TRAPS) (Pediatric)

• Vasculitis