Rheumatology

What Is Rheumatology?

Rheumatology is a branch of medicine that deals with revealing the causes, diagnosis, and treatment of rheumatic diseases.

The rheumatologist treats inflammatory and degenerative joint diseases as well as systemic diseases of the connective tissue (they used to be called collagenosis). Also, working in collaboration with surgeons and traumatologists, these specialists are concerned with suppurative and septic diseases as well as many injuries and orthopedic disorders.

Musculoskeletal conditions are quite common in Russia: they are the third most common health problem in adults. Moreover, the prognosis is still disappointing: the incidence of musculoskeletal diseases is steadily growing. In addition, rheumatic diseases treatment is considered to be one of the most expensive all over the world. Their diagnosis often requires complex tests and examinations, while therapy is long and involves expensive drugs. In neglected cases, surgery followed by comprehensive rehabilitation is recommended.

Rheumatic diseases lead to partial or complete disability in people who started treatment late. There can be a long time period between the day of the first appointment with a doctor and the definite diagnosis since symptoms of musculoskeletal conditions resemble those of other diseases. Patients in Russia can consult dozens of doctors about incorrect diagnoses for months and have no suitable treatment.

Abroad, deliberate attention is paid to rheumatic diseases since the early start of combination therapy enables the patient to keep motor performance and efficiency as good as possible. Rheumatologists work in close collaboration with endocrinologists, cardiologists, surgeons, neurologists, and other specialists. Such an approach makes it possible to diagnose complications and concomitant diseases in time and provide patients with quality treatment and rehabilitation.

The Most Common Rheumatic Diseases

All rheumatic conditions are usually divided into two large groups: inflammatory and non-inflammatory. The first group includes arthritis; it is an inflammatory joint disease with progressing local infection, which affects the whole body. Non-inflammatory joint diseases are comprised of arthrosis, which is characterized by loss of mobility of an affected joint and osteophytes. Unlike arthritis, this disease affects only a certain joint and nearby tissues, but not internal organs. Stage 2 and 3 arthrosis may involve inflammation, which is, however, not chronic and does not cause the initial condition.

Non-inflammatory rheumatic diseases that doctors most often deal with are:

  • degenerative diseases of the vertebral column;
  • osteoarthritis of major joints (most often, knee and hip joints);
  • osteoporosis caused by age-related calcium deficiency;

The most common inflammatory diseases include:

  • rheumatoid arthritis
  • ankylosing spondylitis (Bekhterev’s disease);
  • reactive arthritis (develops in response to an infection caused by germs triggering arthritis)
  • systemic connective tissue diseases (systemic lupus erythematosus, scleroderma, dermatomyositis).

Inflammation and immune system failure are common for all rheumatic diseases. The latter makes treatment quite long; there are few really working medications with minimum side effects.

Treatment Methods

The main task of the therapy for any rheumatic (and other) disorder is curing a patient. However, experts consider long-term remission a success in this case. In remission, a person feels no pain and experiences no disease symptoms; the patients can be active and almost forget about their illness.

Surgery

Surgery for rheumatic diseases mainly consists of damaged joint replacement: it is called replacement arthroplasty. Also, doctors perform endoscopic surgery on the joints for therapy and diagnosis when necessary. They are minimally invasive and almost never cause any complications. Operations performed in modern operating rooms using advanced foreign technologies enable a person to regain their working capacity as quickly as possible and begin to live a full life. Post-operative rehabilitation also contributes to recovery.

Non-Surgical Treatment

Modern strategies of non-surgical treatment of rheumatology patients enable the doctor to make an adequate treatment regimen based on the person’s age, job, concomitant diseases, and many other factors. Analgesics and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs are used. Foreign clinics offer modern genetically engineered drugs, which are effective for diseases that cannot be cured with standard treatments. The treatment regimen may include cartilage-repairing drugs with chondroitin and glucosamine and medications containing hyaluronic acid, minerals, and vitamins.

European specialists introduce extracorporeal blood purification techniques. Blood is cleared of antibodies (including autoantibodies), toxic metabolites, and other elements causing the disease and promoting its progression. Extracorporeal blood purification permits doctors to reduce the doses of drugs and frequency of their adverse events as well as to boost their efficacy. This therapeutic technique brings the best results in autoimmune diseases treatment.

Rehabilitation

Most rheumatic conditions feature:

  • steady progression;
  • combined damage to various body structures;
  • constant and intense pain able to cause depression if it is not relieved effectively;
  • decreased activity requiring both adaptation and readaptation to work and everyday life.

All patients of clinics in Israel, Germany, and other developed countries undergo post-therapy rehabilitation, the primary tasks of which are:

  • prolonged pain relief;
  • maintaining motor performance, increasing the active and passive ranges of motion of the affected joints;
  • improving muscles, strength, and endurance;
  • psychosocial support and prevention of mental problems;
  • preventing joint deformities and eliminating pre-existing ones;
  • improving the quality of life of the patient and their relatives.

Foreign specialists rely on the many years of experience of their colleagues and advanced developments of scientists. Large medical and diagnostic centers possess a clinical settings for research in various branches of medicine. An early start of rehabilitation helps prevent joint contractures, improves the overall motor performance, and slows down further diseases progression.

Hospitals — 11

Rheumatology — лечение в Hadassah hospital

Jerusalem, Israel

Average speed of response

Average level of demand

  • 1913 – foundation year
  • 1 189 beds
  • 850 specialists

Hadassah is a medical center considered one of the largest in Israel, where patients worldwide undergo examination, treatment, and recovery. The hospital is located in Jerusalem, there are two locations: Mount Scopus and Hadassah Ein Karem.

Treatment price

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Free of charge

Rheumatology — лечение в Rambam Medical Center

Haifa, Israel

Average speed of response

Average level of demand

  • 1 000 beds
  • 6 labs,
  • 36 inpatient departments
  • 45 outpatient departments

One of Israel’s leading public hospitals, Rambam, is located in the city of Haifa and has everything necessary to provide first-class medical service to patients worldwide. Here they carry out diagnostics, therapy, and rehabilitation of children and adults with various ailments, ranging from hearing and vision problems to malignant tumors of internal organs.

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Free of charge

Rheumatology — лечение в Shamir Medical Center (Assaf Harofeh)

Tel Aviv, Israel

Average speed of response

Average level of demand

  • 1948 – foundation year
  • 1000 beds
  • 3 400 medical personnel
  • 460 specialists

The Yitzhak Shamir Hospital is a modern center for treatment and diagnostics, which, in terms of the number of patients and staff, as well as the range of services provided, ranks 3rd among the state medical institutions. It occupies an area of about 0.3 hectares and is located in Beer Yaakov. Until 2017, the clinic was called Asaf HaRofe and was renamed in honor of the Israeli Prime Minister in the early 90s of the twentieth century.

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Free of charge

Rheumatology — лечение в Shaare Zedek Medical Center

Jerusalem, Israel

Average speed of response

Average level of demand

  • 1 000 beds
  • 30 inpatient departments
  • 70 outpatient departments
  • 28 000 surgeries per annum
  • 150 000 patients per annum

Shaare Zedek is a hospital with more than a century of history (founded in 1902) with 1,000 beds and a wide range of medical services for patients from Israel and other countries. It was initially located on Jaffa Street in Jerusalem but was subsequently moved to the western part of the city. Since 2013, a branch of the Bikur Holim clinic has been operating with two maternity wards and offices of specialized specialists.

Treatment price

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Cost of an estimate

Free of charge

Rheumatology — лечение в Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center (Ichilov)

Tel Aviv, Israel

Quick response time

High demand among patients

  • 150 departments
  • 500 specialists
  • 25 000 surgeries per annum
  • 94 000 patients per annum

The Sourasky Medical Center (Ichilov) is one of the three largest Israeli hospitals, and even after being renamed in 1973, it is known among patients as the Ichilov clinic. People come here for primary examinations and verification of diagnoses, emergency care, and a wide range of surgical interventions, as well as for recovery and preventive tests. The hospital has gained popularity not only among residents but also among foreign tourists who are interested in receiving first-class medical services at reasonable prices.

Treatment price

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Cost of an estimate

Free of charge

Rheumatology — лечение в Assuta Hospital

Tel Aviv, Israel

Quick response time

High demand among patients

  • 1934 – foundation year
  • 400 beds
  • 765 specialists
  • 90 000 surgeries annually

The Assuta clinic chain ranks 7th in terms of profitability among Israeli medical institutions and attracts thousands of medical tourists from different parts of the world. The hospital’s history began in 1934, and the founder is Dr. Ben-Zion Harel, who arrived from Germany before the founding of Israel and opened a small center in Tel Aviv. Now, in addition to the main building, which occupies eight hectares, the network includes ten more clinics and dozens of clinical and inpatient departments throughout Israel.

Treatment price

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Cost of an estimate

Free of charge

Rheumatology — лечение в Herzliya medical center

Herzliya, Israel

Average speed of response

Average level of demand

  • 550 specialists
  • 120 departments
  • 8 000 patients annually
  • 20 000 surgeries annually

Topping many popularity ratings among Israeli and foreign patients, Herzliya Medical Center is a new-generation medical facility where patients can expect prompt and qualified care at fair prices.

Treatment price

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Cost of an estimate

Free of charge

Rheumatology — лечение в Sheba Medical Center

Ramat-Gan, Israel

Average response speed

Average level of demand

  • 150 departments
  • 1990 beds
  • 1000+ medical specialists
  • 1M+ patients yearly

Having gone from an ordinary military hospital to an internationally recognized medical center, the Sheba Clinic has a huge clinical, rehabilitation, and research base, annually occupying the highest high positions in the ratings of Israeli hospitals. It has the status of a university center and about 150 departments. Sheba actively cooperates with other medical institutions in Israel, the USA, Germany, Japan, and other countries.

Treatment price

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Cost of an estimate

Free of charge

Rheumatology — лечение в Rudolfinerhaus Private Hospital (Rudolfinerhaus Privatklinik)

Vienna, Austria

Average speed of response

Average level of demand

  • Founded in 1882
  • 156 beds
  • over 500 specialists

The Rudolfinerhaus Clinic, which began its activity thanks to Dr. Theodor Billroth in the second half of the nineteenth century, is now one of the leading private diagnostic and treatment centers not only in Vienna and Austria but throughout Europe. Adhering to the principle of providing high-quality service to each patient, the hospital is constantly introducing the latest technologies and improving the conditions for patients’ stay, as well as creating opportunities for comfortable treatment of foreign patients. The clinic is multidisciplinary – they treat here with various pathologies of the heart, nervous and urinary systems, blood vessels, oncology, and many other health problems.

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Cost of an estimate

Free of charge

Rheumatology — лечение в Confraternität Private Hospital (Privatklinik Confraternität)

Vienna, Austria

Quick response time

High demand among patients

  • 3 operating theaters
  • 2 procedure rooms
  • 96 beds
  • 2 beds in the interdisciplinary sleep laboratory

The Confraternität Privatklinik was founded in 1729 and is located in the very center of Vienna, 25 km from the airport and 3.5 km from the railway station. The clinic is a multidisciplinary private medical institution providing patients with high-quality diagnostic and therapeutic services.

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Free of charge

Rheumatology — лечение в Vienna General Hospital—Allgemeines Krankenhaus der Stadt Wien

Vienna, Austria

Average speed of response

Average level of demand

  • Founded in 1693
  • 2,137 beds
  • 1,464 specialists
  • 26 multidisciplinary clinics
  • 42 clinical institutes

A modern advanced university hospital with over three hundred years of history and thousands of employees. AKH is the oldest university hospital in Europe. With the capacity of 30 clinics and partner institutions, the Central Clinical Hospital of Vienna is rightfully considered one of the largest and most popular medical institutions among patients (including foreigners) in the country. AKH is called “a city within a city” because its vast territory has everything necessary for living, diagnosing, treating, and rehabilitating patients, as well as accommodating their accompanying persons.

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Free of charge

Treatment inquiry

To patients