The difference between rheumatism and rheumatoid

  ”Rheumatism” and “rheumatoid” are two different concepts, which have their own definitions, but also have certain connections.  First of all, “rheumatism” is a generic term for diseases affecting bones, joints, skin, mucous membranes, blood vessels, nerves and soft tissues such as muscles, tendons and fascia, including more than 100 diseases in 10 categories. The term “rheumatoid” refers to “rheumatoid arthritis”, which is a disease characterized by symmetrical multi-joint swelling and pain that is common in women and can cause joint deformities in later stages. Therefore, rheumatoid arthritis is a specific disease in rheumatism, and “rheumatoid” is included in “rheumatism”.  Secondly, there are often patients with joint pain who visit the rheumatology department, fearing that they are suffering from “rheumatism” and have joint deformities, and hoping to have their blood drawn to check whether the “rheumatoid factor” is positive. At this time, the “rheumatism” in the patient’s mouth mostly refers to “rheumatoid arthritis”, and the “rheumatoid factor” refers to “rheumatoid factor The “rheumatoid factor” refers to “rheumatoid factor”. This is because the incidence of rheumatoid arthritis is relatively high among all kinds of rheumatic diseases, and it is very harmful, leading to joint deformity and loss of joint function. Due to the lack of medical knowledge, patients usually use the term “rheumatoid” to refer to “rheumatoid arthritis”.  Thus, from the doctor’s point of view, “rheumatism” is a generic term for a wide variety of chronic diseases with complex and diverse symptoms, and “rheumatoid” is one of these diseases. From the patient’s point of view, “rheumatism” refers to “rheumatoid”, that is, rheumatoid arthritis.