Specialist doctor: 4 diseases top the “rheumatism” map in Saudi society

At a time when the international community celebrates the Arthritis Awareness Day, tomorrow (Wednesday) the twelfth of October 2022, rheumatologist and osteoporosis doctor, Dr. Dia Al-Hajj Hussein, revealed that there are 4 diseases that top the list and map of rheumatic diseases in Saudi society, namely (osteoporosis, gout, Rheumatoid, knee roughness) indicating that arthritis means inflammation or swelling of one or more joints, and its effect is in the joints, the tissues around the joint, or other connective tissues, as the specific symptoms vary depending on the type of arthritis, but usually include a feeling of pain and stiffness, Treatment varies according to the severity and type of the condition. He explained that arthritis is a general term that includes more than 100 types of diseases, and most types of arthritis have unknown causes, and symptoms can be mild in some people and severe in others, and may include, pain, swelling Hardening, softness, redness, warmth.

He said that the reason for the increased monitoring of gout cases in Saudi society may be due to wrong dietary behaviors such as increased consumption of red meat in addition to increased consumption of salts, as gout, which is a type of arthritis, occurs as a result of the deposition of urate salts known as “uric acid” in tissues. The joints, and the cartilage, bones and muscles that surround them, and this deposition causes the reaction that we call “inflammation,” and the deposition selects certain areas such as the fingers and toes, and sometimes the knee and ankle, but in 50% of cases it appears in the big toe of the foot.

Dr. Dia pointed out that osteoporosis is among the rheumatic diseases prevalent in Saudi Arabia. According to the latest statistics reported by the Ministry of Health, the incidence of osteoporosis and its decreased density in the Kingdom was estimated at 30-40%, and it spreads among women at a much greater rate than men, and this is due to this. They are due to a decrease in their bone mass as a result of pregnancy and lactation, as well as due to female hormones and menopause, as one woman out of about 3 suffers from osteoporosis, while one man out of 5 men suffers from this disease.

He added: As for rheumatoid arthritis, it is one of the types of chronic rheumatoid arthritis that usually attacks all joints of the body, and then develops to infect other organs of the body if its infections are not dealt with seriously at the beginning of its occurrence. Moving it is accompanied by excruciating pain, especially in the early morning. This inflammation is also accompanied by a rise in the patient’s temperature called “rheumatoid fever” and swelling in the small joints that extend over time to include all joints of the body without exception.

He noted that knee osteoarthritis is a rheumatic disease whose prevalence has expanded in Saudi Arabia, and most of those who suffer from osteoarthritis in young age are caused by weight gain. In men and more than three times in women, indicating that weight gain is the most coincidental factor in knee osteoarthritis, as weight gain affects the knee more than the hip or the neck of the foot, and obesity imposes additional stress, not only as a result of weight gain, but due to defects The situation also, when the drooping abdomen and the thighs slung the knees carry external stress, whether while standing or walking, and the weight gain of one kilogram more than the ideal weight increases the probability of developing knee roughness by 14-33% depending on the location of the roughness, let us imagine what is the incidence of roughness When the weight exceeds 10 kg from the ideal weight.

A rheumatologist and osteoporosis doctor confirmed that

For the treatment of rheumatism, in addition to medication, it is necessary to pay attention to the way of life, such as the psychological aspect of food and sleep earlier, because in the end the disease may disappear one day, according to what he, peace and blessings of God be upon him, said: Death, pyramid.”