The Institute for Rheumatic and Autoimmune Diseases is a not-for-profit organization that is a resource for patients and their families seeking information on treatment options for autoimmune and rheumatic diseases.
You can visit the institute’s web site at www.rheumaresearch.org and see all of the various treatments and resources available there. You can also contact the Institute for Rheumatic and Autoimmune Diseases at 1-800-984-5200.
There are three main areas of rheumatic disease: autoimmune disease, connective tissue disease, and rheumatoid arthritis. Autoimmune disease is the most common type of rheumatic disease, and is caused by a body’s immune system attacking its own tissues. The other two types are connective tissue disease, which is caused by damage to blood vessels and nerves, and rheumatoid arthritis, which is caused by inflammation of the joints.
The Institute for Rheumatic and Autoimmune Diseases has a very wide range of treatment options. We can help you get a referral for a specialist who specializes in rheumatic and autoimmune diseases, or we can refer you to a nearby rheumatologist. We can also help you find a rheumatologist in your area.
So how do they help? They take a group of people who have rheumatoid arthritis, connect them to a physician who is specialized in rheumatic and autoimmune diseases, and ask them to get a referral for a specialist. Then they send the patient(s) to the specialist for a number of visits, which can last a few weeks to months.
The rheumatologist will check the patient’s symptoms and then make a diagnosis, including what kind of medications (if any) they should be on. The specialist then helps the patients get the correct medication dosage and provides them with a referral to their rheumatologist. This can take anywhere from a few weeks to a few months.
The number one question that I get asked whenever I tell people about my work is “Why don’t you just go to your rheumas at school?” Well, the answer is simple. Because there is often a high risk of these diseases occurring in school, and a lot of students who are affected are so young or have other health problems I don’t want to take that risk.
When I started doing research on rheumatology, I had the idea of creating a school of my own where students could take classes, get their medicine at the right dosage, and get their referrals to their rheumas. The institute is part of the American Rheumatism Association and has been in action since 2000. Students are required to take immunizations, as well as have their rheumas evaluated.
The institute is actually a joint venture by four rheumas from the University of Washington, Seattle Children’s Hospital (Seattle), the University of Washington (Seattle), and the Washington Hospital & Clinic Foundation (Seattle), which is currently raising money to pay for the next year’s study. The institute plans to enroll 300 students over the next year and is looking to expand into other countries.