There are more than 100 rheumatic diseases. The most common symptoms of rheumatic diseases are pain, stiffness, and swelling in joints and other supporting structures of the body such as muscles, tendons, ligaments, and bones. Rheumatic diseases can affect various internal organs.
Most people use the term 'arthritis' to refer to all rheumatic diseases.
However, arthritis literally means joint inflammation. The causes of rheumatic diseases vary, depending on the type of disease. Other rheumatic diseases include gout, infectious arthritis, reactive arthritis, psoriatic arthritis, bursitis and tendinitis. Rheumatic diseases are the leading cause of disability among adults age 65 and older. Scleroderma is more common in women than in men Nine out of 10 people who have lupus are women.