Inflammatory and systemic autoimmune diseases have a high prevalence in the general population, being considered remarkably frequent pathologies. Epidemiological studies indicate that more than 20% of the population suffers from one of these diseases, i.e. 1 in 5 people. As their name indicates, these are pathologies in which Internal Medicine, Digestology, Dermatology and Rheumatology present multiple points of interrelation, both clinical and pathophysiological (the phenomenon of autoimmunity, shared genetic variables and immunological alterations are common mechanisms in these diseases).
Which are the most frequent in our environment?
- Systemic Lupus Erythematosus and Cutaneous Lupus.
- Rheumatoid Arthritis
- Antiphospholipid Syndrome
- Spondyloarthropathies (such as spondyloarthrosis)
- Psoriasis
- Psoriatic arthritis
- Ankylosing Spondylitis
- Sjögren’s Syndrome or also called Dry Syndrome
- Polymyalgia Rheumatica
- Systemic Vasculitis
- Cutaneous Vasculitis
- Horton’s Arteritis
- Inflammatory Bowel Diseases:
- Ulcerative Colitis
- Crohn’s Disease
- Autoimmune Hepatopathies
- Inflammatory Myopathies
- Dermatomyositis
- Mixed Connective Tissue Disease
- Systemic Sclerosis or also called Scleroderma.
Why the interdisciplinary vision in these diseases?
Each of these pathologies has its own characteristics and may affect one or the other target organ depending on the idiosyncrasies of the patient, and in these cases require a more exhaustive control by the appropriate specialist, to cite some frequent examples of interaction: psoriatic arthritis: derma/rheumatism; spondyloarthropathy with inflammatory bowel disease: digestive/rheumatism; systemic lupus erythematosus: internal/derma…).
Can they affect health in an important way?
The morbimortality of these diseases is not negligible. Although currently the use of immunomodulatory drugs allows to achieve remission of the disease in most cases and a good control during the patient’s life, the consumption of resources, the adverse effects of these medications and the sequelae of each disease represent a significant burden both physically and psychologically on the patient and their daily environment, substantially affecting their quality of life and life expectancy.
Why a Multidisciplinary Unit in Inflammatory and Systemic Autoimmune Diseases?
A fundamental point in these pathologies is the early diagnosis and therefore the integral approach of the disease taking advantage of the so-called window of opportunity. Carrying out a quick and accurate diagnosis leads us to be more effective and efficient.
Given the complexity of care of these patients, the respective national and international Scientific Societies of each specialty recommend setting up multidisciplinary work units within the same Hospital in order to achieve excellence in care and substantially improve the quality of life of these patients.