Diseases that are silent, but present.
For this project, we focused our research on 3 pathologies. In each of them, the severity of symptoms and disability vary from one person to another. Early diagnosis and proper treatment can help control the pain and stiffness, as well as reducing or preventing articulation deformity.
Rheumatoid Arthritis
A chronic autoimmune disease marked by inflammation of the joints. It arises from a combination of genetics and environmental influences. Much of the inflammatory chronic diseases induce fatigue and sleep, generates cognitive difficulties and also have invisible systemic effects. It is a bilateral and symmetrical arthritis. It evolves by crisis and its main consequence is joint destruction and deformation.
Spondyloarthritis
The main symptom of this disease is the inflammation of the spine, causing pain and stiffness that usually begins in the lower back and could progress to the upper part of the spine, chest and neck - mainly articulations. Over time, joints and bones can fuse, causing the spine to become rigid and inflexible.
Psoriatic Arthritis
In this disease, the body’s defense system causes inflammation, pain, and stiffness in the joints. This inflammatory illness could include psoriasis, which is a dermatologic problem that features red patches of skin caused by the accelerated growth of skin cells.
AREAS OF OPPORTUNITY
The practice of rheumatology has been evolving over the past years. Before, rheumatologists were mainly managing the disease and its consequences on the patient’s life, sometimes even running after the inflammatory process rather than controlling it.
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Nowadays, this reality has changed. There are many new treatment strategies, but it remains difficult to have a fast and correct diagnosis. During our research, we realized that there were two points of view that we should take into consideration while trying to develop a solution to solve this issue.
