CHUNG-ANG UNIVERSITY
HOSPITAL

Rheumatism generally refers to the phenomenon wherein certain harmful substances flowing through the body cause myalgia or arthralgia, which leads to a disease on the musculoskeletal system or the entire body.

The term “rheuma” was first introduced to mean a “flowing liquid substance” in the era of Hippocrates. Rheumatism derived from this term generally refers to the phenomenon wherein certain harmful substances flowing through the body cause myalgia or arthralgia, which leads to a disease on the musculoskeletal system or the entire body. Rheumatic diseases are the most common chronic diseases that cause physical disabilities in advanced countries. Rheumatism results in huge economic, social, and mental burdens. With Korea’s exploding population of older people, it has been considered a huge social and economic issue at home.

Arthritis refers to the inflammation of the joints, causing joint swelling, fever, and pain. Arthritis cannot be considered a disease itself but regarded as one of the various symptoms of rheumatism.
It is said that there are over 100 causes of arthritis. Patients with arthritis may experience joint fever, pain, flare, swelling, stiffness, and failure. Arthritis generally occurs in the knees, fingers, toes, shoulders, wrists, ankles, spine (neck, back), and hips (hip joint). General symptoms of arthritis include fatigue, myalgia, fever, loss of appetite, decreased vitality, and depression.

Frequently occurring types of arthritis—osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, gout, systemic lupus erythematosus, and ankylosing spondylitis—are called the five rheumatic diseases. In addition, there are various types of rheumatic diseases such as Behcet's disease, reactive arthritis, bacterial arthritis, psoriatic arthritis, crystal-induced arthritis (pseudogout), systemic sclerosis (scleroderma), polymyositis, dermatomyositis, relapsing polychondritis, Sjogren syndrome, antiphospholipid syndrome, juvenile rheumatoid arthritis, adult onset Still's disease, systemic vasculitis (polyarteritis nodosa, wegeners granulomatosis, allergic angitis, temporal arteritis, Takayasu's arteritis, Kawasaki disease, etc.), fibromyalgia, polymyalgia rheumatic with giant cell arteritis, and myofascial click pain syndrome. It is difficult to distinguish between these diseases, and they require different treatments.

As one of the internal medicine departments, rheumatology is a study field to diagnose and cure a variety of autoimmune diseases and musculoskeletal pain that develops spontaneously instead of resulting from traumas or accidents. Incurable diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, and ankylosing spondylitis, which used to be considered permanent diseases, are being gradually conquered with the remarkable advancement of medicine, science, and technology. The Department of Rheumatology can be considered to have great potential both clinically and academically.