Rheumatism is a group A beta-hemolytic streptococcus infection-related allergic diseases. Lesions involving the systemic connective tissue was acute or chronic connective tissue inflammation, degeneration and necrosis of collagen fibers. Most frequently involving the heart and joints, followed by the skin, serous membrane, blood vessels and brain. The acute phase is known as rheumatic fever (rheumatism fever). Clinically, in addition to heart and joint symptoms, often accompanied by signs and symptoms of fever, rash, subcutaneous nodules, chorea, etc.; blood test, the antistreptolysin prime O antibody titer increased, erythrocyte sedimentation rate speeding up.
Rheumatism may occur at any age, but mostly occurred in children aged 5 to 15, the peak incidence of 6 to 9 years old. Men and women the incidence is roughly equal. This disease is often recurrent, after the acute phase, the legacy of chronic heart damage, the formation of rheumatic heart disease.
Rheumatism occur in cold regions. China's northeast, northwest and north China, the incidence is higher.
Rheumatism refers mainly affects the joints, muscles, bones and joints surrounding soft tissue such as tendons, ligaments, bursa, fascia and other parts of the disease. Rheumatism in the concept of modern medicine is the rheumatic diseases referred to, refers to the bone, muscle and soft tissue, such as a large group of diseases of the bursa, tendons, fascia, blood vessels, nerves and other. Rheumatic diseases with diffuse connective tissue disease (such as systemic lupus erythematosus, Sjögren's syndrome, inflammatory myopathy, scleroderma, mixed connective tissue disease, Behcet disease, etc.), systemic vasculitis, spondyloarthropathy (general term such as ankylosing spondylitis, reactive arthritis, Reiter syndrome), osteoarthritis, osteoporosis and more than hundreds of mainly involving bone, joints and other connective tissue diseases.