What is arthritis? Arthritis, as the name implies, is a joint-related disease that is common, chronic, and extremely damaging to the body. Many people have a one-sided view of arthritis as an orthopedic disease of the elderly. In fact, arthritis is closely related to many factors such as genetics, immune disorders, and trauma, and can occur at any age; the damage caused by arthritis is not limited to the joints, but also involves the kidneys, heart, liver, lungs, and many other organs. What is rheumatism? Most arthritis is related to a person’s immune disorder, which we also call rheumatic immune disease, or rheumatism for short. It includes more than one hundred diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus, dry syndrome, ankylosing spondylitis, scleroderma, dermatomyositis, psoriatic arthritis, leukodystrophy, osteoarthritis, gout, etc. The treatment and daily care of these diseases are not exactly the same, so the disease must be diagnosed first before the right medicine can be prescribed. What are the symptoms to suspect rheumatism? Fever: more common, often of unknown origin, irregular fever. Pain: joint pain, neck and shoulder pain, low back pain, heel pain, etc. are common. It is sometimes accompanied by swelling, which is an important cause of functional impairment. Skin symptoms: rash, photosensitivity, recurrent mouth ulcers, vulvar ulcers, reticular bruising, skin ulcers, etc. Morning stiffness: stiffness of the joints in the morning or after rest, with restricted movement, affecting activities such as turning over, buttoning clothes, and clenching fists, etc. This sensation disappears only after slow movement of the limbs. Raynaud’s sign: whitening of the ends of fingers and toes when exposed to cold or emotional agitation, followed by purple, then red or accompanied by numbness, pain, and in severe cases, skin ulceration. Mouth sensation, dry eyes Muscle pain, muscle weakness Can rheumatic diseases be cured? Most rheumatic diseases are difficult to cure and often require long-term, even lifelong, medication. However, it does not mean “incurable” or “incurable”. Through regular and systematic medication, most patients can control their diseases, relieve their symptoms, prevent disabilities and improve their quality of life. At the same time, we should clearly understand that the evaluation of the efficacy of either Western or Chinese medicine should be objective and based on clinical symptoms and laboratory tests, and a momentary improvement is not equal to permanent improvement; symptom relief is not equal to the eradication of the disease. Rheumatism itself has the characteristics of recurrent attacks, so it is important to go to the rheumatologist regularly for follow-up.