Healthcare in Rheumatology

This book provides pediatric and adult rheumatologists with a guide to understanding developmental and psychosocial issues of young adulthood and how they relate to healthcare and disease self-management. Transitioning youth with chronic and lifelong autoimmune, rheumatic, and musculoskeletal diseases (RMD) from pediatric to adult care is a complex process. These conditions have an unpredictable course involving multiple organs, which often accumulate damage as patients age. Chronic pain or pain amplification, fatigue, cognitive dysfunction, anxiety, and depression co- exist in many patients. Advance treatments have improved outcomes, but have not prevented some patients from progressing to disability from joint damage, to blindness, end stage renal disease, etc. This book discusses the expanding research and data on improving the transition process and innovative programs and projects that have been developed and implemented in the US and internationally to help deal with this process. Healthcare in Rheumatology: Meeting the Needs of the Teen to Young Adult Patient is of interest to all providers dealing with pediatric and young adult patients with rheumatic conditions, including pediatric and adult rheumatologists, advance practice nurses, trainees in rheumatology, adolescent primary care providers and pediatricians, rehabilitation specialists, pain service providers, and mental health specialists.