Achondroplasia

Achondroplasia is a disorder of bone growth that causes the most common form of dwarfism. It is characterised by a trunk of normal length, short broad limbs, an enlarged skull, small face and flatt

Anaemia of chronic disease

Anaemia is a condition where there is a low level of a substance called haemoglobin in the blood.

Ankylosing Spondylitis

[[Anim 156]] Ankylosing Spondylitis is a generalised chronic inflammatory disease, mainly affecting the spine and sacroiliac joints. It is characterised by pain or sti

Antiphospholipid Antibody Syndrome (APAS)

Antiphospholipid Antibody Syndrome is a group of clinical manifestations associated with the presence of high levels of antibodies - antiphospholipid antibodies (APA) in the blood of the affected indi

Back Pain

Back pain, particularly lower back pain, is a very common reason for patients visiting their local doctor. Although the underlying pathology is usually not serious, i

Behcet's Disease (BD, and Silk Route disease)

Behcet's disease a type of vasculitis, is a rare, chronic, lifelong disorder that involves inflammation of blood vessels throughout the body. Behcet's is a multi-system disease; it may involve any

Calcium pyrophosphate deposition disease (Chondrocalcinosis, Pseudogout)

Pseudogout is a type of crystal arthropathy, like gout. The term crystal arthropathy means that crystals of a chemical (like urate in gout, and calcium pyrophosphate in pseudogout) are precipitating a

Cervical Spondylosis

Cervical Spondylosis is the most common disorder of the cervical spine. It is caused by degenerative changes in the vertebrae and intervertebral discs that occur as a result of ageing or due to injury

Chronic Pain Syndrome

Chronic pain syndrome encompasses any pain that persists longer than the reasonable expected healing time for the involved tissues. The duration of

Churg-Strauss syndrome (CSS)

Churg-Strauss syndrome (CSS), or allergic granulomatous angiitis, is a rare disease that affects small to medium-sized arteries and veins. It is a disease affecting multiple body sites and charact

De Quervain's tenosynovitis (washerwoman's sprain)

De Quervain's tenosynovitis or washerwoman's sprain, is a painful wrist condition involving two of the tendons at the wrist - the thumb extensors called Extensor pollicus brevis and abductor pollicus

Dermatomyositis

Dermatomyositis is a systemic muscle disorder of unknown origin that causes muscle weakness and characteristic skin changes. Polymyositis causes a similar muscle weakness, but without the skin changes

Developmental Bone Birth Defect (Achondrogenesis)

Achondrogenesis is a kind of birth defect in the development of bone and cartilage, and is thought to be inherited.

Diabetic cheiroarthropathy

[[Anim 14]] Diabetes may affect the muscle and joint systems in a variety of ways. Diabetic cheiroarthropathy, also known as diabetic 'stiff hand syndrome', is commonly found in patients with

Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (EDS)

Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (EDS) is a group of genetic connective tissue disorders that result from the production of abnormal collagen. This can have wide ranging effects on the skin, joints and blood ve

Epidemic Polyarthritis (Ross River virus)

Ross River virus, or as it is traditionally called Epidemic Polyarthritis, is caused by a virus which is transmitted to humans through the bite of mosquitoes. A wide variety of symptoms may occur from

Frozen Shoulder (adhesive capsulitis)

[[Anim 228]] The term frozen shoulder is often used to describe situations where the shoulder is working at less than its optimal range of motion. The correct term for this condition is 'adhe

Gout (crystal deposition disorders)

Gout is the most common form of crystal induced arthritis, characterised by the deposition of crystals in and around joints and tendons. In some patients this may be asymptomatic, in others it will ca

Gout and hyperuricaemia

Gout is a condition in which there are deposits of a chemical (sodium urate) in joints, causing arthritis, as well as in soft tissues and the urinary tract. Urate or uric acid is a chemical formed

Herniated nucleus pulposus (slipped disc; Lumbar radiculopathy; Cervical radiculopathy; Herniated intervertebral disc; Prolapsed intervertebral disc; Ruptured disc)

[[Anim 27]] A slipped disc, or herniated nucleus pulposus, is a condition in which part or all of the soft, gelatinous central portion of an intervertebr

Joint Hypermobility Syndrome (JHS)

About 5% of the population have hypermobile joints - their joints have a range of movement that is greater than normal. This condition by itself is not serious, unless there is an underlying disease.

Juvenile rheumatoid arthritis (Juvenile idiopathic arthritis, Juvenile chronic arthritis)

Juvenile rheumatoid arthritis (JRA) refers to a group of diseases causing chronic (lasting longer than 6 weeks) joint pain and swelling in children.

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Juvenile-onset ankylosing spondylitis (Juvenile-onset ankylosing spondylitis)

[[Anim 156]] Ankylosing spondylitis is often called arthritis of the spine. Ankylosing means stiffening of joints. Spondylitis means inflammation of one or more vertebrae (backbones). Ankylosing s

Kawasaki Disease

Kawasaki disease is currently the most common cause of acquired heart disease in children in developed countries. First described by Dr Tomisaku Kawasaki, it is a disease of unknown cause that affects

Kyphosis (Scheuermann's disease; Roundback; Hunchback; Postural kyphosis)

Kyphosis is a curvature of the spine that develops into a bowing of the back, which leads to a 'hunchback' or slouching posture.

Localized Scleroderma

What is Localized Scleroderma? Scleroderma is a disorder with an unknown cause. It is characterized by thickening of the skin due to extra tissue being deposited within it. The excess tissue is cal

Lupus - Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE)

[[Anim 75]] Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is an autoimmune disorder that may affect many organ systems within the body. In particular it is associated w

Lyme Disease

[[Anim 120]] Lyme disease is caused by a bacterial infection transmitted by ticks, and the individual's subsequent immune reaction to the infection. It is characterised by arthritis, neurological and

Marfan's Syndrome

Marfan's syndrome is an inherited disorder of connective tissues within the body. It affects the skeleton, joints, eyes and cardiovascular structures. The skin and lungs are also frequently involved.

Microscopic polyangiitis (MPA)

Microscopic polyangiitis is characterized by pauci-immune, necrotizing, small-vessel vasculitis without clinical or pathological evidence of necrotizing granulomatous inflammation.

Neck pain

[[Anim 166]] Neck pain can present in any of the seven cervical vertebrae (back bones) connecting the base of skull to the thoracic cage. As well as the cervical spine, muscles, ligaments, and soft ti

Osteoarthritis

Osteomyelitis (Acute and Chronic)

Osteomyelitis occurs when the bone becomes infected; pus is produced within the bone, which may result in an abscess. The abscess then starves the bone of its blood supply. In children, the long bo

Ototoxicity

Ototoxicity refers to drug or chemical-related damage to the inner ear resulting in impairment of the organs responsible for hearing and balance. Such damage can lead to temporary or

Pigmented Villonodular Synovitis

Pigmented villonodular synovitis (PVNS) is a joint problem that usually affects the hip or knee. It can also occur in the shoulder, ankle, elbow, hand or foot. The lining of the joint expands and prod

Polyarteritis Nodosa (PAN)

Polyarteritis nodosa (PAN) is a multisystem disease that affects small to medium sized blood vessels. Typically it affects the renal, intestinal, muscular and cardiac circulations.

Polymyalgia Rheumatica and Temporal (Giant Cell) Arteritis

Polymyalgia rheumatica (PMR) and Giant Cell arteritis (GCA) are closely related systemic disorders of an unknown cause that affect mainly elderly people^1,3,4. These conditions may occur ind

Polymyositis

Polymyositis is an inflammatory muscle disease of unknown cause. It is often grouped with dermatomyositis, a disease that causes similar symptoms with the addition of skin manifestations.

Pseudogout (Calcium pyrophosphate deposition disease)

As the name suggests, pseudogout is not true gout but often causes symptoms that closely resemble those of gout. Pseudogout is caused by the deposition of calcium pyrophosphate crystals in cartilage (

Psoriatic arthritis

Psoriatic arthritis is a chronic (long lasting) autoimmune disease that affects the joints in association with skin or nail changes as seen in psoriasis. Psoriasis is a common, inherited skin conditio

Raynaud's Phenomenon (Raynaud's disease)

Raynaud's Phenomenon is a disease that is caused by involuntary narrowing of blood vessels most commonly in the regions supplying the fingers, toes, ears

Reiter's syndrome and reactive arthritis

Reiter's syndrome is a seronegative arthritis involving mainly the peripheral joints, occuring after an episode of urethritis or diarrhoea and associated with conjunctiv

Relapsing Polychondritis

Relapsing polychondritis is an uncommon, inflammatory disorder of cartilage which mainly affects the cartilage in the ear, nose and trachea (windpipe). This can result in

Repetitive Strain Injury (RSI)

Repetitive strain injury refers to damage to any tissue in the body resulting from repetitive demands, rather than a single traumatic event. It occurs over time and it becomes symptomatic when the ti

Rheumatic Fever & Rheumatic Heart Disease

Rheumatic fever is an inflammatory disease which may develop after an infection with streptococcus bacteria (such as strep throat or scarlet fever) and can involve t

Rheumatoid Arthritis

[[Anim 231]] Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a disease in which the joints in the body become inflamed. RA is the mos

Sarcoidosis

Sarcoidosis is a disease of unknown cause involving the formation of nodules of chronically inflamed tissue in many sites throughout the body. Sarcoidosis usually affects the lungs and nervous system,

Scoliosis (Spinal curvature; Kyphoscoliosis)

[[Anim 152]] Scoliosis is the term given to a lateral (away from the middle) or sideways curvature of the spine.

Septic Arthritis

Infective arthritis may represent a direct invasion of joint space by a variety of microorganisms, including a variety of bacteria, viruses, mycobacteria, and fungi. Reactive arthritis, a sterile infl

Shoulder pain

[[Anim 228]] Shoulder Pain The shoulder is a ball-and-socket joint formed by the head of the humerus (the arm bone) and the glenoid labrum (the name for the socket of the shoulder joint in the scapul

Sjogren's Syndrome

Sjogren's syndrome is a chronic autoimmune condition that causes dry mouth (xerostomia) and dry eyes. It is often associated with an underlying autoimmune disease such as

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Virtual Rheumatology Centre Full Disease List