ABSTRACT
The 'inflammatory rheumatic disorders' covers a number of diseases that cause chronic pain, stiffness and swelling around joints and tendons. Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is the most common cause of chronic inflammatory joint disease. The usual criteria for diagnosing rheumatoid arthritis are the presence of a bilateral, symmetrical polyarthritis involving the proximal joints of the hands or feet, and persisting for at least 6 weeks. Ankylosing spondylitis (AS) is characterized by pain and stiffness of the back, with variable involvement of the hips and shoulders and the peripheral joints. Psoriatic arthritis is characterized by seronegative polysynovitis, erosive arthritis, enthesitis and dactylitis and a significant incidence of sacroiliitis and spondylitis. Polyarticular arthritis, typically with involvement of the temporomandibular joints and the cervical spine, is usually seen in older children, mainly girls. Like RA, these are 'autoimmune disorders', probably triggered by environmental exposures, such as viral infections, in genetically predisposed individuals.
