Who are Rheumatologists & when should you visit them?
In India, rheumatoid arthritis is a very common autoimmune disease that affects up to 1% of the entire country’s population. Even though it may not seem high, due to the high population of India, 1% of its population accounts for a staggering number of people that suffer from this incurable disease. As you can imagine by now, rheumatologists are specialized doctors that treat patients that suffer from Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) and other related musculoskeletal diseases. But, there’s a lot more you should know about them to understand when you should visit them. So, let’s learn more about rheumatologists and when you should visit them.
Who are Rheumatologists?
If you suffer from autoimmune diseases such as RA, your primary care doctor can assess your condition and help you cope with your problems on a preliminary level. However, when it comes to treatment options and comprehensive assessment of your condition to determine the severity of your disease, you need a rheumatologist. As mentioned before, rheumatologists are specialized doctors who are trained to care for and treat patients suffering from various problems such as
Rheumatoid Arthritis
Musculoskeletal diseases
Swelling, pain, stiffness, or deformities in bones, joints, organs, or supporting muscles.
Let’s dive deeper and learn about the various specific conditions that rheumatologists can specifically assess, diagnose, and treat.
Osteoporosis
Gout
Osteoarthritis
Fibromyalgia
Tendonitis
Lupus
Myositis
Rheumatoid arthritis
Back pain and muscle strains
Scleroderma
When should you visit a Rheumatologist?
If you are suffering from severe pain in your joints, bones, back, or muscles, you may need to visit a rheumatologist. If you are suffering from these problems, initially, they can be treated or assessed by general physicians as well. However, when they start to persist or worsen over time, that’s when you need to consider visiting a rheumatologist.
There are also other specific situations where you need to visit a rheumatologist; some of them are discussed below.
You are over 50 years of age, and you go through intense headaches or muscle spams regularly.
You have muscle/joint pain that persists and is accompanied by bouts of fever, morning stiffness, rashes, and fatigue.
You suffer from new joint pains every now and then without having any injury.
You have persistent muscle pain that just doesn’t go away.
You suffer from severe pain in multiple joints in your body.
All of these scenarios require assessment and diagnosis by a rheumatologist. In accordance with the above scenarios, you must also visit a rheumatologist if you have an autoimmune condition such as RA in your genetics. Getting a thorough diagnosis will help you eliminate the risk factors you might have or make necessary lifestyle changes to ensure you are safe from the genetic diseases you might carry
Conclusion
Given the prevalence of RA in India, rheumatologists are in high demand always. Given the advancements in medical science and technology today, there are finally some treatment options for patients suffering from autoimmune conditions like RA. So, if you are suffering from RA or are going through any of the symptoms/scenarios mentioned in this article, be sure to get yourself checked. You can visit the top rheumatologists from Rajasthan and India at Medipulse hospital in Jodhpur. For more information, be sure to visit the hospital’s website.