The Burden of Rheumatic Diseases in the Community: Raising Awareness in Primary Care

Abstract

Copyright © 2018 Irini Gergianaki. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and work is properly cited. Rheumatic and Musculoskeletal Diseases (RMDs) are a highly diverse group of diseases and conditions, that can present in people of any age, including children. They are one of the leading causes of disability, affecting not only the joints, but almost any organ of the body [1,2]. Recently, a European League Against Rheumatism (EULAR)-American College of Rheumatology working group acknowledged that there is still lack of awareness regarding the complexity and importance of RMDs in the community [1]. Despite tremendous progress in early diagnosis and therapeutics of RMDs that has been achieved, various unmet needs remain, and significant consequences emerge at individual or societal level [3]. The role of Primary Care Physicians (PCPs) is strongly encouraged towards the direction of rigorous detection and referral to specialist, as well as, the co-management of comorbidities and other preventive measures, recommended for patients diagnosed with RMDs [4].