Rheumatic Disorders

Helping You Take Back Your Life

The swelling, pain and overall uncomfortable symptoms that accompany a rheumatic disorder can stop you from living a full and normal life, but our rheumatology specialists are committed to putting an end to these symptoms that rule your everyday through unique and individualized care.

Rheumatic disorders are chronic conditions that can affect the entire body, including skin, bones, joint structures, and muscles. These disorders cause inflammation and pain, making it difficult to carry on day to day activities. 

These disorders often have something in common - they are a result of the body’s immune system mistaking its own cells as an enemy. 

At Lee Health, our rheumatology experts are dedicated to providing exceptional care for every patient. Our physicians provide a wide range of comprehensive treatment options dependent on each patient’s particular needs including medications, diet and lifestyle changes, assistive devices and more. 

Common Rheumatic Disorders We Treat

Our rheumatology specialists are committed to using their extensive knowledge and expertise when diagnosing and treating rheumatic disorders including:

• Ankylosing Spondylitis is an inflammatory disease that can cause some of the spinal vertebrae to fuse together. It can result in the spine becoming less flexible, and when it affects the ribs, it can become hard to breath. 
• Behcet’s Disease causes inflammation in the blood vessels throughout your body. It is a rare disorder, and the symptoms often seem unrelated at first, including mouth sores, eye inflammation, skin rashes and genital sores, and they often vary from person to person.
• Giant Cell Arteritis is the inflammation of the lining of arteries. Often, this affects the arteries in the head, specifically the arteries located in the temples. It can cause headaches, scalp tenderness, jaw pain and vision impairment.
• Gout causes sudden, severe pain, as well as redness and tenderness joints. It is a complex form of arthritis that can affect anyone, and it is often found in the joint at the base of the big toe.
• Polymyalgia Rheumatica is an inflammatory disorder causing muscle pain and stiffness, commonly in the shoulders. People who have polymyalgia rheumatica often find that the symptoms are worse in the morning. 
• Psoriatic Arthritis often affects people who have previously developed psoriasis - a condition causing red patches of skin with silvery scales. Psoriatic arthritis commonly causes joint pain, stiffness and swelling, affecting any part of the body. Both psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis can have flare ups and periods of remission.
• Raynaud’s Phenomenon, also called Raynaud’s disease, can cause areas of the body to feel numb and cold due to cold temperatures or stress. The smaller arteries that supply blood to the skin become narrow, causing limited blood circulation to the affected areas.
• Rheumatoid Arthritis is a chronic inflammatory disorder that often affects the joints in the hands and feet. It affects the lining of the joints, causing painful swelling that may eventually cause bone erosion and joint deformity. As an autoimmune disorder, the body attacks its own tissue.
• Sarcoidosis is characterized as the growth of tiny collections of inflammatory cells in different areas of the body. It is typically found in the lungs, lymph nodes, eyes and skin. 
• Scleroderma is a collection of rare diseases that cause the hardening and tightening of skin and connective tissues. In some cases, scleroderma only affects the skin, but it can also affect the structures inside the body such as blood vessels, internal organs and the digestive tract.
• Sjogren’s Syndrome is an immune system disorder that is identified by dry eyes and a dry mouth. It often is found in patients with other immune disorders such as rheumatoid arthritis and lupus. 
• Vasculitis causes changes in the walls of blood vessels such as thickening, weakening, narrowing and scarring which can restrict blood flow causing organ and tissue damage.

State of the Art Treatment 

When treating patients with a rheumatoid disorder, our experts are committed to finding individualized, comprehensive treatment options to best suit each unique case. At Lee Health, you can find comfort in knowing that our physicians will work directly with you to provide exceptional care.