How researchers are working to improve the lives of people with rheumatic diseaseRheumatic disease is an umbrella term that refers to arthritis and several other conditions that affect the joints, tendons, muscle, ligaments, bones, and muscles (arthritis...
Did you know that the CDC estimates there are 58.5 million U.S. adults who have been diagnosed with a rheumatic disease like arthritisArthritis is the swelling and tenderness of one or more joints. Learn more. , lupusLupus is a chronic (long-term) disease that can cause inflammation and pain in any part of your body. It’s an autoimmune disease, which means that..., RAThe most common autoimmune type of arthritis. In RA, your body’s immune system begins to react against its own tissues, causing significant inflammation in your..., gout and fibromyalgiaSyndrome of chronic pain of musculoskeletal origin but uncertain cause. Is accompanied by fatigue, sleep, memory, and mood issues. Learn more. ? That number is predicted to increase to 78 million by 2040.
Right now, there is only one rheumatologist for every 40,000 patients and that means patients are forced to wait months before they can be seen by a rheumatology professional, and oftentimes, they have to travel long distances to those appointments.
The Rheumatology Research Foundation is working to address this challenge. We’re committed to improving the quality of care that patients receive by ensuring there are enough rheumatology professionals in all parts of the country to treat the increasing number of patients and continue groundbreaking research.
How do we do this?
We award critical funding to researchers throughout the U.S. Foundation funding has allowed researchers to…
- Shed insight into causes and risk factors of lupusLupus is a chronic (long-term) disease that can cause inflammation and pain in any part of your body. It’s an autoimmune disease, which means that... and other autoimmuneAny disorder in which loss of function or destruction of normal tissue arises from humoral or cellular immune responses to the body’s own tissue constituents.... diseases
- Better understand the progression of diseases like sclerodermaA rare, chronic autoimmune disease that affects skin and internal organs. Scleroderma results from the immune system causing inflammation and tissues changes. It often leads... and fibrosis
- Enable patients to play a more active role in their care and treatment options
We are recruiting and training more professionals into rheumatology so there are more people to care for the growing number of patients with a rheumatic diseaseRheumatic disease is an umbrella term that refers to arthritis and several other conditions that affect the joints, tendons, muscle, ligaments, bones, and muscles (arthritis.... Foundation funding is also used for continued education for rheumatologists and rheumatology providers throughout their career.
And we can’t do this alone. We need your help to ensure every person impacted by rheumatic diseaseRheumatic disease is an umbrella term that refers to arthritis and several other conditions that affect the joints, tendons, muscle, ligaments, bones, and muscles (arthritis... has access to care and the chance to live a better life. Your gift to the Foundation could lead to new discoveries, new treatments and one day, a cure.