Rheumatology

What is Rheumatology?

Rheumatology is a subset of medicine and peadiatrics that deals with autoimmune diseases. In these types of diseases, a person’s immune system attacks their own body. This causes inflammation and problems such as pain and organ damage. Autoimmune diseases can affect the eyes, skin, nerves, kidneys, lungs, heart, brain, and other internal organs, as well as joints, causing arthritis. A rheumatologist has expertise in treating these types of disorders.

My Experience

During my registrarship I trained closely with Prof C Scott (paediatric rheumatology) and Dr C Hlela (dermatology) and have seen, diagnosed and treated most rheumatological conditions multiple times. Since I started practicing I have diagnosed and treated with assistance from Prof Scott nearly every rheumatological condition known in the rheumatological field. Such conditions include Wegener’s granulomatosis, all forms of Juvenile idiopathic arthritis, enthesitis-related osteoarthritis (ankylosing spondylitis), Dermatomyositis, Behcet’s, Systemic Lupus erythematodes, scleroderma, Sjórgen’s, Kawasaki’s and PIMS, vasculitis such as Takayatsu and Henoch-Schönlein purpura and rheumatic fever. I have treated, and continue to treat and follow up with patients with all these conditions regularly.