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Causes, symptoms and treatment of rheumatism of the legs

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Rheumatism of the legs is an autoimmune diseasethat is a complication of streptococcal infection and affects the joints of the lower extremities.

According to statistics, from rheumatism of the feet suffer most of the younger population, and the infection affects people mainly in the cold season. Rheumatism of the legs occurs after suffering streptococcal infection in approximately 2.5% of the total number of cases.


Symptoms of rheumatism of the legs

Rheumatism of the legs does not occur as an isolated complication caused by ingestion of hemolytic Streptococcus. In parallel affects the heart, patients get rheumatic heart disease.

Among the symptoms indicating the development of rheumatism of the legs, can be identified:

  • The occurrence of pain in the joints (hip, knee, ankle). They are of various intensity and duration. Progression of rheumatism of the lower extremities, the pain intensified and frequent.

  • The area around the inflamed joint swells, the skin becomes red and hot to the touch.

  • Can increase overall body temperature, sometimes to high values.

  • In parallel, there are disorders of the heart.

  • The patient has fatigue, disturbed appetite and sleep, the pulse quickens.
  • The joints most often affected symmetrically. Although the vast majority of cases in the pathological process involved large joints – knee, then the ankle, sometimes the disease affects both the small joints of the lower extremities, e.g. toes.

The disease starts approximately 3 weeks after streptococcal infection. In some cases, the initial attack of rheumatic fever may pass asymptomatic, and the person learns of the defeat of the joints and heart only on routine examinations.

The clinical picture observed by a physician as: joints affected, as in rheumatoid arthritis, the volume of synovial fluid is increased, there are all signs of inflammation. However, rheumatism in the legs, with timely treatment rarely leads to the formation of persistent disorders in the joints. Iftherapy has been tightened, they will lose physical activity, bones become porous, mineral substances are washed away.


Causes of rheumatism of the legs

Among the reasons leading to the development of rheumatism of the legs, are the following:

  • Exposure to streptococcal infection that causes diseases such as strep throat, scarlet fever, tonsillitis and pharyngitis. Rheumatism of the legs, in turn, is a complication of these diseases.

  • Getting into the joints of pathogenic bacteria directly, through the blood.

  • The occurrence of the disease, as a manifestation of allergic reactions to secreted by bacterial toxic substances.

Rheumatism of the legs is a consequence of the failure of the immune system, which initially leads the fight against the alien organisms, and then begins to attack its own healthy tissue. In this case, affects the large joints of the legs.

The treatment of rheumatism legs

The struggle against disease must begin with eliminating the reasons that caused the rheumatism of the legs.

Therapy takes place in several stages:

  • For starters, the patient is placed in a hospital where for a long time (up to 2 months), undergoing intensive therapy, combined first with full bed routine and then physical therapy.
  • After treatment in hospital, the patient sent home, with the obligatory recommendation of inpatient treatment. In subsequent years, the patient is mandatory seeing a rheumatologist, taking the place of residence.
  • The sooner you get started the treatment of rheumatism, the more favorable Outlook for recovery.

Drug treatment for rheumatism of the legs:

  • As the medicines used are antibiotics (if not hypersensitive, penicillin), NSAIDs, to relieve inflammation in the joints of the feet (naproxen, diclofenac and others), immunosuppressants, glucocorticoids and gamma globulin, immune reserves of the body.
  • If the inflammation in the joints of the feet is persistent, anti-inflammatory drugs are injected directly into the articular cavity for maximum effect.

Treatmentrheumatism of the legs have to be integrated. This means that in addition to the therapeutic treatment the patient should follow a diet and visit a physiotherapy. Among them have the greatest efficiency: paraffin baths, UHF, electrophoresis, UV exposure.

When the disease is in the acute phase and man are shown in bed, he administrated the massage. It helps to improve blood circulation in the lower limbs and speed up the process of removing the inflammation from the joints. If rheumatic fever does not recede for a long time, the patient is shown holding plasmapheresis. This will clean the patient's blood from toxins produced by the bacteria and the antibodies that damage healthy tissues.

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Prevention of rheumatism of the legs

Although the disease is not of epidemic proportions, however, the factor that triggers its development - hemolytic Streptococcus, refers to contagious pathogens. It is therefore important to produce isolation of the patient from others and to carry out medical surveillance of all contacts for 21 days.

Other measures to prevent the disease include:

  • Maintaining the body's defenses, reducing the survival chances of infection. Among such activities are: physical exercise, healthy habits, quitting bad habits, balanced diet, etc.

  • Removal of all existing foci of infection provokes the development of diseases such as dental caries, tonsillitis, pharyngitis.

  • Staging each patient with rheumatism on record in the dispensary.

  • Year-round prevention of illness for individuals once suffered from rheumatism of the legs. This is especially true for patients prone to frequent recurrences.

These measures will enable to prevent the development of disease and to prevent exacerbations, which gives the possibility to extend the patient's life and improve its quality.