Rheumatism is derived from the Greek word ‘rheuma’, which Hippocrates described as ‘a bad liquid substance that causes disease’. In other words, rheumatic diseases refer to all diseases that cause joint pain or arthritis. And rheumatology referes to the study of the cause, pathogenesis, and treatment of these diseases.

In Korea, because arthritis has been treated only with alternative and folk remedies, along with a wrong perception of arthritis, the appropriate treatment period has often been missed. However, with the recent early diagnosis of arthritis and the advent of new drugs, it is changing from an incurable disease to a controllable and treatable disease.

Most rheumatic diseases are autoimmune diseases accompanied by immunological abnormalities. Rheumatology is closely related to immunology and provides treatment for the cause by scientifically analyzing immunological pathogenesis. Based on the results of these studies, new drugs that inhibit various inflammatory mediators have been developed, making great progress in the treatment of rheumatic diseases.

The Department of Rheumatology at Busan St.Mary’s Hospital operates an arthritis clinic (rheumatoid arthritis, degenerative arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, reactive arthritis, etc.), lupus and collagen disease clinic (lupus, Bechet’s disease, Sjogren’s syndrome, percutaneous, multiple myositides, vasculitis, etc.), gout clinics, and fibromuscular clinic.