Rheumatological conditions

What are rheumatological conditions?

Rheumatological conditions, also known as rheumatic disease or rheumatic conditions, are a group of conditions that affect the joints, muscles, tendons, ligaments, or bones. They are typically characterised by inflammation and pain. At Circle Health Group, our expert consultants specialise in diagnosing and treating a range of rheumatological conditions.

In this blog, we will look at some common rheumatic diseases, their symptoms and causes, and how they are treated. We’ll offer advice on living with a rheumatological condition.

Common rheumatological conditions

Rheumatological disease is an umbrella term for a range of different conditions that cause inflammation in your muscles, joints and other soft tissues. Some common rheumatological conditions include:

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA)

Rheumatoid arthritis, often shortened to RA and sometimes called rheumatism, is a type of autoimmune disease. Autoimmune diseases are when your immune system mistakenly attacks its own tissues. In the case of RA, it is the lining of your joints that is affected.

The main symptoms of RA are pain, swelling and stiffness in your joints. This is usually your hands, wrists and feet, but other joints can be affected too. Symptoms typically affect the same joints on both sides of your body. Other symptoms include fatigue, low-grade fever, skin rashes and weight loss. Symptoms of RA may periodically get worse in what is known as a ‘flare-up’.

RA is treated with medication such as non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), or steroids to reduce pain and inflammation, and disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARDs) to slow the progression of the disease. Other treatments for RA include lifestyle changes, therapies such as physiotherapy and occupational therapy, and in some cases, surgery to repair a damaged joint.

Untreated RA can lead to inflammation in other parts of your body, including your skin, heart, lungs, blood vessels and eyes. These complications can increase your risk of a heart attack or stroke and lead to permanent joint damage or deformity.

Osteoarthritis

Osteoarthritis is the most common type of arthritis in the UK. It occurs when the protective cartilage at the ends of your bones breaks down, causing bone to rub against bone and leading to inflammation, pain, swelling and stiffness. Osteoarthritis can affect any joint, but is most common in the knees, hips and the small joints in the hands. The condition is caused by wear and tear on your joints and is more common in older adults. People with a previous joint injury or a condition that affects the joints such as rheumatoid arthritis or gout, have a higher risk of developing osteoarthritis.

Symptoms of osteoarthritis include joint pain, swelling and stiffness, difficulty moving the affected joint, and a grinding or crackling sound on movement.

Treatment for osteoarthritis focuses on managing your symptoms and improving your quality of life. This may include medication to manage pain, lifestyle changes such as losing weight, physiotherapy to improve flexibility and range of motion and occupational therapy to assist with daily activities.

Palindromic rheumatism

Palindromic rheumatism, also known as palindromic arthritis, is a type of inflammatory arthritis that is characterised by attacks or flare-ups of joint pain and inflammation followed by periods with no symptoms. Unlike people with rheumatoid arthritis, people with palindromic rheumatism normally feel well between attacks and the condition does not cause lasting joint damage. Palindromic rheumatism affects everyone differently and attacks may last from a few hours to several days, weeks or months and may occur several times a week, or less than once a year.

Osteoporosis

Osteoporosis is a condition where your bones become weak and fragile, making you more at risk of fractures (broken bones).

While not strictly speaking a rheumatic disease, osteoporosis is common in people with rheumatic diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, lupus and Sjögren’s disease. The condition develops gradually over several years and occurs when old bone tissue isn’t replaced with new, causing your bones to lose density and become more fragile. Osteoporosis is more common in women, particularly after menopause, but can also affect men and children.

Osteoarthritis often doesn’t cause any symptoms in the early stages, and the condition is frequently diagnosed following a fracture. Later signs of osteoporosis include a stooped posture, loss of height and back pain.

Treatment for osteoporosis focuses on preventing and treating fractures, and medication to strengthen your bones.

Fibromyalgia

Fibromyalgia, also known as fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS), is a chronic (long-term) condition that affects your musculoskeletal system (bones, cartilage, ligaments, tendons, and connective tissues), causing pain throughout your body. It can also cause other symptoms such as muscle stiffness, increased sensitivity to pain, sleep problems, fatigue, difficulty concentrating and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). Symptoms of fibromyalgia may suddenly improve or get worse.

Treatment for fibromyalgia may include exercise, medications such as antidepressants, and cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT). Complimentary treatments like acupuncture, yoga and massage therapy may also be beneficial in treating fibromyalgia.

Lupus

There are several different types of lupus, but the most common type is systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), a chronic condition that can affect any part of your body, including your skin, kidneys, lungs, cardiovascular system and joints. Lupus is an autoimmune disease that occurs when your immune system mistakenly attacks its own tissues.

The main symptoms of lupus are fatigue, joint and muscle pain and skin rashes, but you may have other symptoms including headaches, mouth ulcers, or depression and anxiety. People with lupus typically experience periods when their symptoms get worse (flare-ups) and periods of improvement (remission). 

Treatment for lupus depends on your symptoms and how severe they are. Medications for lupus include non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), or steroids to reduce inflammation, and hydroxychloroquine to prevent flare-ups and treat fatigue, rashes and joint pain. In severe cases, you may be given immunosuppressant drugs to stop your immune system from attacking your tissues.

Ankylosing spondylitis (AS)

Ankylosing spondylitis (AS) is a type of arthritis that causes inflammation of the joints in your spine and the joints that connect your spine to your pelvis (sacroiliac joints). Less commonly, AS can affect other joints in your body such as your hips, shoulders and knees.

Symptoms of AS include lower back pain and stiffness, fatigue, and sometimes pain and swelling in your other joints.

Treatment for ankylosing spondylitis includes medication to relieve pain and inflammation, exercise, physiotherapy, and in some cases, surgery to repair damaged joints or correct deformities. 

Psoriatic arthritis (PsA)

Psoriatic arthritis (PsA) is an autoimmune disease that causes inflammation in your joints. About a third of people with the skin condition psoriasis develop psoriatic arthritis. It most commonly affects your fingers, toes, ankles, and knees, but can also occur in your spine, sacroiliac joints, elbows, hips, and wrists. Many people with PsA experience ‘flare-ups’ of their symptoms due to triggers such as stress, infection, smoking, diet, or changes in the weather.

Symptoms of PsA include joint pain, swelling and stiffness that is often worse in the morning, heat and redness around the affected joints, swelling of one or more fingers or toes (dactylitis), and fatigue.

Treatment for PsA includes medications such as non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) or steroids to reduce pain and inflammation, and disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARDs). If your symptoms don’t improve with these medications, you may be given biological treatments by injection or intravenous (IV) infusion. These treatments are made from living cells and work by targeting the proteins in your immune system responsible for psoriatic arthritis. Physiotherapy and occupational therapy can also help manage symptoms of psoriatic arthritis. 

Gout

Gout is a type of inflammatory arthritis that is caused by high levels of uric acid in your blood (hyperuricaemia).

Symptoms of gout include sudden, severe pain, redness and heat around a joint, commonly your big toe. Gout can also affect other joints such as the hands, wrists, feet, ankles, elbows or knees.

Symptoms often start at night.

Gout is treated with medication such as non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) to relieve symptoms. If you have frequent gout attacks, you may be given medication to lower the level of uric acid in your blood and prevent future attacks.   

Scleroderma

Scleroderma is the name for a group of rare auto-immune disorders where your body produces too much collagen, leading to tightening and hardening of your skin. It can also affect your muscles, bones, blood vessels and internal organs. People with scleroderma are much more likely to have two other conditions: Raynaud’s and Sjögren’s syndrome.

There are two main types of scleroderma:

• Localised scleroderma (morphoea): This type of scleroderma only affects one part of your body, usually your skin, causing patches of thickened, hardened skin
• Systemic sclerosis: This type affects other parts of your body such as your blood vessels, circulation, and internal organs as well as your skin. It can cause serious, potentially life-threatening complications

Symptoms of scleroderma vary depending on the type and severity of your condition and which part of your body is affected. Many people with scleroderma don’t have any symptoms in the early stages. Common symptoms include thickened patches of skin, joint pain and stiffness, fatigue and unexplained weight loss. Depending on the part of your body affected, you may experience symptoms such as coughing, shortness of breath, digestive problems, heart arrhythmias or kidney problems.

Treatment for scleroderma focuses on managing your symptoms, preventing your condition from getting worse and treating any complications. This may include skin treatments such as moisturisers, lifestyle changes, medication, physiotherapy, occupational therapy, and in some cases, surgery. 

Sjögren’s syndrome

Sjögren's syndrome is an autoimmune disease that affects the glands in your body that produce fluid, such as saliva and tears, meaning you don’t produce enough of these substances. It can cause a variety of symptoms including joint pain and stiffness. People with Sjögren's syndrome often have other rheumatic diseases like rheumatoid arthritis or lupus. Like many rheumatological conditions, people with Sjögren's syndrome may have periods where their symptoms are worse (flare-ups) and periods where they improve (remission). Flare-ups may be triggered by stress, illness, not resting enough, certain foods, drinks and medications, dehydration and environmental factors like the weather.

The main symptoms of Sjögren's syndrome are dry eyes and a dry mouth. It can also cause joint pain and fatigue and depending on how the condition affects you, may cause other symptoms such as a cough, skin problems, acid reflux and vaginal dryness.

There is currently no cure for Sjögren's syndrome, but the condition can be managed with medications to improve your symptoms like a dry mouth and eyes, ease pain and swelling in your joints and muscles and stop your immune system from attacking your fluid-producing glands. Lifestyle changes like drinking plenty of fluids, eating a healthy diet, and avoiding smoking can also help manage your symptoms. 

Juvenile idiopathic arthritis

Juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) is a long-term autoimmune disease that affects children under the age of 16. It causes inflammation of your joints leading to joint pain, swelling, and stiffness. Symptoms of JIA can last from a few months to several years and it may affect a few joints or multiple joints throughout your body. In some cases, JIA can lead to other issues such as eye inflammation or problems with bone development and growth. There are several types of JIA, each with slightly different symptoms.

The main symptoms of juvenile idiopathic arthritis are pain, swelling and stiffness, especially in the morning or after rest. Other symptoms may include a skin rash, fever, fatigue, blurred vision, and dry eyes.

Treatment for JIA depends on the type and severity of your condition but may include medications to relieve pain and inflammation and slow the progression of the disease, physiotherapy, occupational therapy, and in some cases, surgery. 

Giant cell/temporal arteritis

Temporal arteritis, also known as giant cell arteritis, is a condition that causes inflammation of your blood vessels (vasculitis), particularly those on the side of your head (temples). It can also affect other arteries including those in your neck and arms. This inflammation causes swelling and can restrict blood flow which may lead to damage to your vital organs and tissues. People with temporal arteritis often have another inflammatory condition called polymyalgia rheumatica (PMR).

Symptoms of temporal arteritis depend on which arteries are affected, but may include a severe, throbbing headache, pain around your temples, pain in your jaw when talking or eating, problems with your vision, fatigue, flu-like symptoms, unintended weight loss and depression.

Temporal arteritis is a serious condition that can lead to complications such as blindness, aortic aneurysm and stroke if not treated quickly. The main treatment for temporal arteritis is with medications called steroids to reduce inflammation in your arteries.  

Polymyalgia rheumatica

Polymyalgia rheumatica (PMR) is a condition that causes inflammation, pain and stiffness in your shoulders, neck and hips. It may also affect the muscles in your upper arms, thighs and back. It usually affects people over the age of 50. Symptoms of PMR normally develop rapidly, over a couple of weeks and may even come on overnight. Approximately 10 to 20% of people with polymyalgia rheumatica have another medical condition called temporal arteritis (giant cell arteritis).

The main symptom of polymyalgia rheumatica is muscle stiffness in the morning that lasts longer than 30 minutes. Other symptoms may include muscle weakness, fatigue, loss of appetite, weight loss and feeling generally unwell.

Polymyalgia rheumatica is treated with steroid medication to reduce inflammation and ease your symptoms. You may also be prescribed medication to suppress your immune system and painkillers to help manage your symptoms.

Common symptoms of rheumatological conditions

The symptoms of rheumatological conditions vary from person to person and depend on the type and severity of your condition and how it affects you. Inflammation is the main feature of rheumatoid disease and common symptoms include joint pain, swelling, redness, heat and stiffness. You may also have difficulty moving around, fatigue, skin rashes and a fever. Some rheumatological conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis and lupus have periods where symptoms worsen called a flare-up, followed by periods where they improve, known as remission. 

What causes rheumatological conditions?

Many rheumatological conditions are autoimmune disorders, which means they happen when your immune system mistakenly attacks your healthy tissues. It’s not clear why this happens.

Not all rheumatological conditions are caused by problems with your immune system, for example osteoarthritis is caused by wear and tear on your joints. The cause of fibromyalgia is unknown, but it doesn’t appear to be caused by problems with your immune system.

Some people may be more likely to develop rheumatic disease due to genetics, lifestyle and environmental factors.

Some things that may increase your risk of rheumatic disease include:

• Sex: Some rheumatic diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis and lupus are more common in women and others like ankylosing spondylitis occur more frequently in men
• Medical history:  Other chronic health issues, infections, stress, and childhood trauma may increase your risk of developing certain rheumatic diseases
• Genes: Your genes may increase your risk of developing certain rheumatic diseases
• Lifestyle factors: Being overweight or obese can increase your risk of developing gout or psoriatic arthritis, while smoking is a risk factor for rheumatoid arthritis and systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). They can also make these conditions worse
• Environmental factors: Rheumatological conditions may be caused or triggered by substances in the environment such as pollutants, chemicals or toxins

What causes rheumatic pain?

Rheumatic pain is caused by inflammation of your joints, tendons, ligaments, bones, or muscles. Inflammation is when a part of your body becomes painful, swollen, red, and sometimes hot. It can occur due to injury, infection, or when your immune system attacks its own tissues (autoimmune disease).

Your rheumatic pain may get worse sometimes, followed by a period of improvement. Sometimes your rheumatic pain can flare up due to triggers such as:

• Overexertion or not getting enough rest 
• Stress
• Illness
• Injury 
• Infection
• Lack of sleep
• Changes in the weather 
• Diet
• Alcohol intake
• Smoking 
• Weight gain

In addition, certain movements like high-impact exercise, and repetitive movements can exacerbate rheumatic pain. 

Living with rheumatological conditions

Managing rheumatic disease requires a combination of medical treatment, self-care and making changes to your lifestyle that help reduce your symptoms and prevent your condition from getting worse.

Medical management 

It’s important to work closely with your rheumatologist, take any medications as prescribed and attend regular check-ups to monitor your condition and make any necessary adjustments to your treatment. It can take a while to find a treatment that works best for you, so be patient and communicate your needs to your consultant and healthcare team. 

Therapies

Physiotherapy offers many benefits to people with rheumatological conditions such as exercises to strengthen your muscles, improve your function and flexibility and maintain your mobility. It can also help with pain through techniques like acupuncture, electrotherapy, manual therapies, heat and cold therapies and hydrotherapy.

Occupational therapy aims to improve your independence, well-being and quality of life by teaching you techniques to manage daily tasks and activities. This may include using assistive devices, adapting tasks and advice on managing pain and fatigue.

Talking therapies such as cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT) can help with the psychological effects of having a long-term condition such as rheumatoid disease.

Psychological support

Living with rheumatological disease can take its toll emotionally and it’s important to address your mental health as well as your physical symptoms. Reach out to family and friends for support and join support groups either in person or online to talk to others with the same condition. Many registered charities also offer free support, information and advice including:

• The National Rheumatoid Arthritis Society (NRAS)
• Versus Arthritis Helpline
• Lupus UK
• Sjögren's UKFibromyalgia Action UK

Lifestyle changes

Adopting a healthy lifestyle benefits your overall health and wellbeing and can reduce the symptoms of rheumatological disease and make flare-ups less frequent and easier to manage. Lifestyle changes include regular gentle exercise, following a healthy, balanced diet, limiting alcohol, keeping your weight within healthy limits, reducing stress, and not smoking.  

Rheumatological conditions in summary

There are many different rheumatological conditions, with a variety of causes and symptoms. For some people, lifestyle changes will be enough to manage their symptoms. But for many people, treatments such as physiotherapy or medication are an important part of living with a rheumatological condition.

If you are living with one of the conditions described above, or have difficult symptoms that you think point to a rheumatological disease, it’s important to speak to someone about it. Your GP is a great first point of call, and they can refer you on to a specialist if necessary. If you already have a diagnosis, you may wish to go straight to a specialist for example a consultant rheumatologist.

At Circle Health Group, our network of expert consultants are specialists in providing the best possible care and treatment for people with rheumatological conditions, allowing you to focus on living a healthy, active and fulfilled life. 

Clinical review and sources

Content reviewed by Circle in-house team in September 2025. Next review due September 2028.

1. Arthritis and Rheumatic Diseases - National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases 
2. Conditions - Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust: Rheumatology   
3. What is rheumatology? - British Society for Rheumatology