Early detection in a timely mannersigns of any disease is an important condition for its effective treatment, especially if there is a predisposition to this ailment. The same applies to a disease such as rheumatism.
Немаловажным является также правильная постановка diagnosis, which is carried out using various methods of diagnosis. In this article we will look at the symptoms of rheumatism, the types of the disease, its treatment and prevention.
В современных медицинских источниках ревматизмом They call an inflammatory disease of a systemic nature of connective tissue, the pathological process of which is localized mainly in the membranes of the heart muscle or in the periarticular soft tissues, but can also affect other organs.
Most often, this disease occurs in children.The younger the child, the worse the recurrence of the disease. It is necessary to identify symptoms on time, and the treatment of rheumatism in children in this case will be more effective.
Rheumatism can occur in such varieties:
With rheumatism, relatively rarely affecteddigestive organs. In this case, acute pains in the abdomen may appear, which are associated with rheumatic peritonitis. Sometimes inflammation of the liver or kidneys occurs.
The danger of the disease is that withignoring the symptoms of rheumatism and treatment, as well as systematic observation by a doctor, serious pathologies of the central nervous system and heart can develop.
An important role in the occurrence of the disease is played by a genetic predisposition.
Most often, the symptoms of rheumatism make themselves felt one to three weeks after the following events:
The body of ninety-seven percent who have had streptococcal infection forms a stable immunity. The rest, with repeated infection, develop an inflammatory reaction.
The main factors that contribute to the onset of symptoms of rheumatism (photo manifestations can be seen in the article), consider:
Данная разновидность ревматизма опасна тем, что в twenty percent of cases may result in a formed heart defect. And if adults are able to clearly describe the manifestations of the disease, then children, as a rule, do not pay attention to them.
Symptoms of heart rheumatism are as follows:
It is extremely important to identify the symptoms of heart rheumatism on time - treatment of the disease in this case will be more effective.
The joint form of acute rheumatism beginsusually 1-3 weeks after suffering a sore throat or other infectious disease (flu, inflammation of the ear or paranasal sinuses). Moreover, as a rule, children and youth suffer. Symptoms and treatment of rheumatism of the joints will be discussed later.
Patients complain about the following symptoms:
More often the disease begins acutely, less often -develops gradually. When examining patients, their stationary position is noteworthy - they avoid the slightest movements due to sharp pains in inflamed places. Symptoms of rheumatism of the hands are similar to the manifestations of other types of disease.
Usually the affected joints are enlarged, the skin above them is slightly hyperemic, hot to the touch, moist, sometimes covered with an erythematous rash.
В первые дни со стороны сердечно-сосудистой system, except for moderate tachycardia, no changes are noted. Joint pains are volatile, and more often it manifests itself in young, strong people. The defeat of each new joint occurs within a few hours.
Symptoms of rheumatism in adults manifestas follows: at first one or two joints are affected, then more and more new ones are involved in the process. In some cases, eight joints can be inflamed at once, and sometimes more.
In severe cases, edematous fluid accumulatesnot only in the articular cavity, but also in the periarticular muscles and connective formations. When they feel, the most painful places are the attachment of fibrous fascia and tendons to the bones.
It should be emphasized that the ill jointsafter a few days they can become inflamed again, so that some of them can be affected several times during acute rheumatism. This is especially true for rheumatism of the legs - the symptoms are similar to the general manifestations of other types of disease.
Each type of rheumatism has its own characteristic features. Let's consider them further.
Rheumochorea is characterized by such signs:
The skin form of the disease is manifested by the following symptoms:
Nodules do not cause discomfort and disappear within two to three weeks.
It is important to know what symptoms of rheumatism occur in order to consult a specialist in time to determine the type of disease.
Rheum pleuritis is characterized by the following symptoms:
Symptoms of rheumatism in adults manifest mainly similar to childhood.
For timely detection of the diseaseIt is necessary to consult a doctor on time, who will conduct the necessary examination. Its results will help establish the correct diagnosis and prescribe treatment. Symptoms of rheumatism in the hands, as well as other varieties of the disease, are similar in nature, and therefore require careful analysis.
For diagnosis, laboratory and instrumental studies are performed.
The first group includes:
Instrumental studies include:
The course of the active form of rheumatism is quite long, although joint damage is often relatively quickly eliminated - from two to three weeks to three to six months.
Even with mild symptoms of rheumatismthe process in the heart and joints is invisible to the patient and often for the doctor continues inexorably. The tragedy of a patient with rheumatism is that during this period his joints do not bother him, discomfort in the heart is very slight, his health improves, so people stop taking the necessary drugs. When, after a few years, patients seek medical help, the results of an objective study indicate that they have a pronounced heart disease with the presence of endocarditis and inflammation of the circulatory system.
The most serious changes come fromof cardio-vascular system. With rheumatism, the myocardium, endocardium and pericardium are affected. First of all, changes occur in the heart muscle. Clinically, seven to ten days after the onset of the disease, in the midst of joint pain, patients have a rapid heartbeat, shortness of breath, heaviness, discomfort and pain in the heart.
Symptoms of rheumatism in children in the initial stagesometimes difficult to determine, because the child cannot describe them correctly. Therefore, adults should pay attention to obvious signs in the form of temperature, a weakened state, joint swelling.
The following degrees of the disease are distinguished, depending on how severe the clinical symptoms of rheumatism are:
Rheumatism is characterized by repeated attacks -relapses resulting from external adverse effects: hypothermia, infections, physical stress. Clinical signs of repeated inflammation resemble primary, but they are less pronounced, but the symptoms of heart damage, on the contrary, prevail.
In severe cases, doctors have no difficulty in making a diagnosis, especially taking into account the pathology of the patient’s heart.
First of all, it is necessary to distinguish rheumaticpolyarthritis from rheumatoid (non-specific, infectious). The similarity of these diseases lies in the fact that both of them can begin with the appearance of a sore throat or affection of the adnexal nasal cavities, and an increase in temperature.
In addition to rheumatoid arthritis, rheumaticpolyarthritis should be differentiated with infectious specific polyarthritis of a particular etiology. This should be borne in mind tuberculosis, gonorrhea, brucellosis, dysentery, syphilis, flu, typhoid fever, sepsis and acute childhood infections.
The prognosis for the articular form of rheumatism is determined by the degree of damage to the heart.
Changes in the joints themselves most often end favorably, and residual changes in the form of tight mobility or ankylosis are rare.
With the timely detection of symptoms and treatment of rheumatism, the disease lends itself well to therapeutic effects. The most difficult and unfavorable is the frequently recurring rheumatism.
Great importance should be given to householdthe conditions in which the patient will be ill with a primary or acute form of the disease. It is important to combat cooling, dampness, drafts, overwork to prevent relapse of rheumatism.
To broad preventive treatment measuressymptoms of rheumatism of joints should include hardening of the body to increase its resistance to cooling, fluctuations in external temperature, dampness. Physical education and sports exercises will contribute to the necessary training and hardening of the body.
Detection of all kinds of chronic infectiousfoci in the body require immediate treatment. Sanitation of the oral cavity, removal of carious teeth, treatment of chronic tonsillitis, inflammation of the ear and accessory cavities of the nose are necessary.
The presence of chronic inflammatory foci does notcan only contribute to the widespread spread of infection in the body, increase allergic reactions, but also change its reactivity and thereby create conditions for the occurrence of rheumatism.
One of the methods that allows the clinician to clarifythe presence of allergies is a study of peripheral blood. An increase in the number of eosinophils over five percent should always attract attention and give rise to a thorough examination of the body, and if necessary, to the use of desensitizing agents (diphenhydramine, diazolin, calcium chloride and others).
As preventive measures during periods of exacerbation - in the spring and in the fall - they carry out therapy with antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory drugs.
For secondary prevention, the following measures are characteristic:
The active and acute phase of rheumatism is treated in a hospital with patients strict bed rest.
Patients are prescribed medication withhyposensitizing and anti-inflammatory effects: non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, corticosteroid hormones. Also, in the presence of infectious foci, antibiotics are prescribed with their simultaneous debridement (carious teeth, tonsillitis, sinusitis).
In parallel with the main drug therapy, patients are prescribed immunomodulators and sedatives. With revealed heart lesions, diuretics and cardiac glycosides are used.
Symptoms and treatment of rheumatism in adults in the general case does not differ from therapy in children.
In an outpatient setting:
With a weakening form of the disease fromthe use of salicylates in the form of salicylic sodium or aspirin, as well as antibiotics (penicillin), should be put in the first place. Instead of salicylic sodium, aspirin can be prescribed, but its effect will be slightly weaker.
Also used hormonal drugs - ACTH,cortisone and its derivatives. The effect in most cases is positive, since the listed drugs have a distinct anti-allergic effect and are able to suppress allergic reactivity and hyperergic tissue reactions in patients with rheumatism.
In addition to salt restriction, two to four grams of potassium chloride per day should be prescribed for the diet in these cases.
In the presence of exacerbation of chronic tonsillitis or other foci of infection, vigorous antibiotic therapy is indicated.
Physiotherapeutic procedures, as well as ultraviolet irradiation, should be used in the protracted course of rheumatoid arthritis, and physiotherapy exercises are also indicated during this period.
