Arthritis is a term often used to mean any disorder that affects joints. Symptoms generally include joint pain and stiffness. Other symptoms may include redness, warmth, swelling, and decreased range of motion of the affected joints. In some types of arthritis, other organs are also affected. Onset can be gradual or sudden.
Rheumatology is a branch of medicine devoted to the diagnosis and management of disorders whose common feature is inflammation in the bones, muscles, joints, and internal organs. Rheumatology covers more than 100 different complex diseases, collectively known as rheumatic diseases, which includes many forms of arthritis as well as lupus and Sjögren's syndrome. Doctors who have undergone formal training in rheumatology are called rheumatologists.
Osteoarthritis (OA) is a type of degenerative joint disease that results from breakdown of joint cartilage and underlying bone. It is believed to be the fourth leading cause of disability in the world, affecting 1 in 7 adults in the United States alone. The most common symptoms are joint pain and stiffness. Usually the symptoms progress slowly over years. Other symptoms may include joint swelling, decreased range of motion, and, when the back is affected, weakness or numbness of the arms and legs. The most commonly involved joints are the two near the ends of the fingers and the joint at the base of the thumbs, the knee and hip joints, and the joints of the neck and lower back. The symptoms can interfere with work and normal daily activities. Unlike some other types of arthritis, only the joints, not internal organs, are affected.
Paget's disease of bone is a condition involving cellular remodeling and deformity of one or more bones. The affected bones show signs of dysregulated bone remodeling at the microscopic level, specifically excessive bone breakdown and subsequent disorganized new bone formation. These structural changes cause the bone to weaken, which may result in deformity, pain, fracture or arthritis of associated joints.
Strontium ranelate, a strontium(II) salt of ranelic acid, is a medication for osteoporosis marketed as Protelos or Protos by Servier. Studies indicate it can also slow the course of osteoarthritis of the knee. The drug is unusual in that it both increases deposition of new bone by osteoblasts and reduces the resorption of bone by osteoclasts. It is therefore promoted as a "dual action bone agent" (DABA).
Geriatric rheumatology is the branch of medicine that studies rheumatologic disorders in elderly. Sometimes it is called Gerontorheumatology.
The International Osteoporosis Foundation (IOF), headquartered in Nyon, Switzerland, is a non-governmental organization (NGO) founded in 1998. It was formed from the merger of the European Foundation for Osteoporosis, founded in 1987, and the International Federation of Societies on Skeletal Diseases. The foundation functions as a global alliance of individuals and organizations concerned with the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of osteoporosis and musculoskeletal bone disease. The goal of the Foundation is to increase the early detection of osteoporosis and related musculoskeletal diseases, as well as to improve the treatment of these conditions through international collaboration among national healthcare systems and governments. The Foundation is the largest global NGO dedicated to osteoporosis and musculoskeletal diseases.
Glyn Lewis is a British professor of psychiatric epidemiology and the current head of the Division of Psychiatry at University College London
Eleftheria Zeggini is a director of the institute of translational genomics in Helmholtz Zentrum München and a professor at the Technical University of Munich (TUM). Previously she served as a research group leader at the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute from 2008 to 2018 and an honorary professor in the department of health sciences at the University of Leicester in the UK.
Post-traumatic arthritis (PTAr) is a form of osteoarthritis following an injury to a joint.
Rosalind Anne Eeles is a Professor of Oncogenetics at the Institute of Cancer Research and clinician at the Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust. She is a leader in the field of genetic susceptibility to prostate cancer, and is known for the discovery of 14 genetic variants involved in prostate cancer predisposition. According to ResearchGate, Eeles has published more than 500 articles in peer-reviewed journals, with over 34,000 citations and an h-index of 92. Eeles was elected a Fellow of the Academy of Medical Science in 2012. She was awarded a National Institute for Health Research Senior Investigator Emeritus in 2014.
Rachelle Buchbinder is an Australian rheumatologist and clinical epidemiologist. Her clinical practice is in conjunction with research involving multidisciplinary projects relating to arthritis and musculoskeletal conditions. She promotes improvement of communication with patients and health literacy in the community.
Nancy E. Lane is an American rheumatologist. She is an Endowed Professor of Medicine, Rheumatology, and Aging Research at the University of California, Davis and director of the UC Davis Musculoskeletal Diseases of Aging Research Group. She has also sat on the editorial boards of Nature Reviews Rheumatology, Rheumatology,Seminars in Arthritis and Rheumatism,Arthritis & Rheumatology, and The Journal of Rheumatology. Her work on aging and glucocorticoids in cell populations is internationally recognized.
Jenny Carmeron Taylor is a British geneticist who is Professor of Translational Genomics at the University of Oxford. Taylor is the Director of the Oxford Biomedical Research Centre Genetics Theme. Her research considers whole genome sequencing and ways to integrate genetic research into the National Health Service.
Murielle Bochud is a Swiss physician. She is co-chief of the Department of Epidemiology and Health Systems at the University Centre for Primary Care and Public Health (Unisanté) in Lausanne. Her research considers the epidemiology of cardio-metabolic diseases and genetic epidemiology.
Paul Emery is a British rheumatologist, researcher, and academic. Emery has been the Versus Arthritis Professor of Rheumatology at the University of Leeds from 1995 to 2017, Head of its Rheumatology Department from 1995 to 2008. He is Head of the Academic Unit of Musculoskeletal Disease and Lead Clinician of Rheumatology at the Leeds Teaching Hospital NHS Trust, and was the Director of the NIHR Leeds Biomedical Research Centre from 2009 to 2022. He is known for introducing early intervention in inflammatory arthritis. Emery played a critical role in bringing sensitive imaging (MRI) into rheumatology practice. In 2012, Emery was awarded the Carol Nachman Prize for Rheumatology, and as of 2024, he has published over 1660 peer-reviewed articles with over 160,000 citations. Emery was the most cited European/World Rheumatologist in 2010-2020, and was selected in the European Journal of Clinical Investigation's "list of highly influential biomedical researchers, 1996–2020."
Dick Heinegård was a Swedish biochemist. He received his doctorate in 1974 at Lund University and later became a professor of medical and physiological chemistry there. His research concentrated on the biology and pathology of connective tissue. Heinegård was elected in 2002 as a member of the Kungliga Vetenskapsakademin.
Rebecca Grainger is a New Zealand academic rheumatologist, and is a full professor at the University of Otago, specialising in rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis, and gout. She is also interested in the use of technology for medical education and digital health.
Gisela Sole is a South African–New Zealand academic physiotherapist, and is a full professor at the University of Otago, specialising in sports injuries and management of musculoskeletal conditions.
Francisco Javier Blanco García, is a Spanish medical professional who has established a notable career in the field of rheumatology. He holds the position of full professor in the Department of Physiotherapy, Medicine, and Biomedical Sciences at the Universidad de A Coruña. Additionally, he serves as the Head of the Clinical and Translational Rheumatology Section at the A Coruña University Hospital and is the Coordinator of the Rheumatology-Health Research Group at INIBIC and CICA-UDC. Francisco J Blanco is also a Corresponding Academic of the Royal National Academy of Medicine of Spain, the Royal National Academy of Pharmacy of Spain, and the Royal Academy of Medicine and Surgery of Galicia. Recently, he was appointed Director of the Cathedra San Rafael Foundation-UDC.
