Contents
Rheumatism of the legs is an autoimmune disease that is a complication of streptococcal infection and affects the joints of the lower extremities.
According to statistics, the young population of the planet suffers from rheumatism of the legs more often, and the infection affects people mainly in the cold season. Rheumatism of the legs occurs after a streptococcal infection in about 2,5% of the total number of cases.
Symptoms of rheumatism of the legs
Rheumatism of the legs does not occur as a single complication caused by the ingestion of hemolytic streptococcus. In parallel, the heart is affected, the patient develops rheumatic heart disease.
Among the symptoms that indicate the development of rheumatism of the legs, we can distinguish:
The occurrence of pain in the joints (hip, knee, ankle). They wear different intensity and duration. As the rheumatism of the lower extremities progresses, the pain intensifies and becomes more frequent.
The area around the inflamed joint swells, the skin becomes red and hot to the touch.
The general body temperature may rise, sometimes to high values.
In parallel, there are violations in the work of the heart.
The patient experiences a breakdown, appetite and sleep are disturbed, the pulse quickens.
Joints are most often affected symmetrically. Although in the vast majority of cases, large joints are involved in the pathological process – the knee, then the ankle, sometimes the disease also affects the small joints of the lower extremities, for example, the toes.
The disease starts approximately 3 weeks later, after a streptococcal infection. In some cases, the primary attack of rheumatism may be asymptomatic and a person learns about damage to the joints and heart only at routine examinations.
The clinical picture observed by the doctor is as follows: the joints are affected, as in rheumatoid arthritis, the volume of intra-articular fluid is increased, all signs of inflammation are present. However, rheumatism of the legs, with timely treatment, rarely leads to the formation of persistent disorders in the joints. If the therapy was delayed, they will lose their motor activity, the bones become porous, the minerals are washed out.
Causes of rheumatism of the legs
Among the causes leading to the development of rheumatism of the legs, the following can be distinguished:
Entering the body of a streptococcal infection that causes diseases such as tonsillitis, scarlet fever, tonsillitis and pharyngitis. Rheumatism of the legs, in turn, is a complication of these diseases.
The entry of pathogenic bacteria into the joint directly, through the blood.
The onset of the disease, as a manifestation of an allergic reaction to toxic substances secreted by bacteria.
Rheumatism of the legs is a consequence of a malfunction in the immune system, which first fights against foreign organisms, and then begins to attack its own healthy tissues. In this case, large joints of the legs are affected.
Treatment of rheumatism of the legs
The fight against the disease should begin with the elimination of the cause that caused the rheumatism of the legs.
The therapy takes place in several stages:
To begin with, the patient is placed in a hospital, where for a long time (up to 2 months), he undergoes intensive therapy, combined first with full bed rest, and then with a course of physiotherapy exercises.
After therapy in a hospital, the patient is sent home, with a mandatory recommendation to undergo spa treatment. Over the next years, the patient is obligatorily observed by a rheumatologist at the place of residence.
The sooner the treatment of rheumatism is started, the more favorable the prognosis for recovery.
Treatment of rheumatism of the legs must be comprehensive. This means that in addition to therapeutic treatment, the patient must follow a diet and attend physiotherapy procedures. Among them, the most effective are: paraffin applications, UHF, electrophoresis, exposure to ultraviolet radiation.
When the disease is in an acute phase and a person is shown bed rest, he must be prescribed a massage. This improves blood circulation in the lower extremities and speeds up the process of removing inflammation from the joints. If rheumatism does not recede for a long time, the patient is shown plasmapheresis. This will cleanse the patient’s blood of toxins produced by bacteria and of antibodies that harm healthy body tissues.
Prevention of rheumatism of the legs
Although this disease does not have the nature of an epidemic, nevertheless, the factor provoking its development, hemolytic streptococcus, is a contagious pathogen. Therefore, it is so important to isolate the patient from others and to carry out medical supervision of all contact persons for 21 days.
Other measures to prevent the development of the disease include:
Maintaining the body’s defenses, which will reduce the chances of surviving the infection. Among such activities are: physical education, hardening, giving up bad habits, balanced nutrition, etc.
Elimination of all existing foci of infection that provoke the development of the disease, such as caries, tonsillitis, pharyngitis.
Registration of each patient with rheumatism in the dispensary.
Year-round prevention of the disease for people who once suffered from rheumatism of the legs. This is especially true for patients prone to frequent relapses.
These measures will both prevent the development of the disease and avoid its exacerbations, which makes it possible to prolong the life of the patient and improve its quality.