Rheumatic diseases do not only affect the elderly, but also young people, and even in some cases, children. In fact, they are the leading cause of physical disability in the Western world according to the World Health Organization. From the Spanish Society of Rheumatology they seek to raise awareness among the population.
‘One in four’ campaign of the Spanish Society of Rheumatology
One in four people over the age of twenty in Spain suffer from any of the different rheumatic diseases that exist; young people and children are not exempt either.
So close to 11 million people are affected in Spain, according to the study EPISER of the Spanish Society of Rheumatology (SER).
Despite being the second cause of consultation in Primary Care and the first disability in the Western world, rheumatic diseases remain the great unknowns and sometimes tend to trivialize them by associating them with aging.
More than 200 rheumatic and systemic autoimmune diseases
The SER indicates that there are described more than 200 rheumatic and systemic autoimmune diseasesamong which are the rheumatoid arthritis, Sjögren’s syndromethe ankylosing spondylitisthe osteoarthritisthe osteoporosisthe lupusthe lumbagoand the dropamong others.
“They affect joints, bones and muscles, but also organs such as lung, heart, kidney, eyes, skin, etc. They are the most frequent chronic diseases”, she explains doctor Delia Reina, spokesperson for the SER and rheumatologist at the Sant Joan Despí Moisès Broggi Hospital in Barcelona.
Why is it unknown that rheumatic diseases also affect young people?
The spokeswoman for the Spanish Society of Rheumatology clarifies that some diseases are characteristic of adulthood and even old age, and tend to be the most popular.
“This is why it is believed that the rheumatologist only sees patients of this type, with arthrosis or osteoporosis, for example. But there are also the so-called systemic autoimmune rheumatic diseases (ERAS) which are characteristic of patients with much earlier ages. In this sense, pathologies such as lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, scleroderma or Sjögren’s syndrome usually start between the ages of 25 and 45”.
Has the prevalence of these diseases increased in young people?
According to the doctor Juan Carlos Nieto, spokesperson for the SER and rheumatologist at the Hospital General Universitari Gregorio Marañón in Madridthe prevalence of these diseases has remained stable in recent years, both for autoimmune diseases (lupus or dermatomyositis) as for the juvenile idiomatic arthritis.
However, he points out that it is not possible to know for sure because they do not have recent epidemiological studies with which to make a comparison.
Signs to pay attention to
Dr. Reina insists on the importance of knowing the main symptoms and going to the doctor in case of any warning, as it is essential to improve the prognosis of these diseases.
children
In children it is necessary to pay attention to pain and the joint swellingsince they are the main symptoms for which patients are referred to a rheumatologist, according to the specialist.
Still, they exist other symptoms different that can also be due to a rheumatic disease:
- Prolonged fever of unknown cause or repeated febrile episodes.
- limitation of mobility or deformity of the joints.
- Repetition fractures.
- Muscle weakness.
- Recurring oral canker sores.
- Lameness without a history of trauma.
Adults
Although in adults the symptoms are very varied, the more frequent are:
- Pain, which can be acute or chronic. Joint pain is the most common in rheumatic diseases.
- Joint swelling (inflammation) and in the long run a possible appearance of joint deformity, especially in rheumatic diseases that run with chronic arthritis such as rheumatoid arthritis or the psoriatic arthritis.
- Stiffness in the joints.
- Tiredness and fatigue.
- fever.
- Tingling in extremities.
- Loss of function of one or several joints with consequent limitation of mobility.
- Skin lesions how psoriasis or ulcersin the eyes like uveitisin the lung or heart, com pleurisy or pericarditis respectively, or dry mouth, shortness of breath (dyspnea) or Raynaud’s syndrome (when the fingers turn white with the cold), among others.
Can rheumatic diseases be prevented?
Although rheumatic diseases cannot be prevented, an early diagnosis can be achieved and thus access to the necessary treatment.
The expert points out that this greatly improves the prognosis and the consequences of a chronic disease that could previously be very disabling.
‘One in four’
SER has launched the second part of the ‘One in four’ campaign, this time aimed at the younger audience through a rap song format.
The aim is to raise awareness and sensitize the population so that they begin to see the high prevalence of rheumatic diseases, as they can appear at any age.