Palindromic Rheumatism

The older rheumatism definition included any pain in the muscles, joints, tendons and bones. This was then corrected due to advancement in modern medicine where any specific pain in the joints is defined as rheumatoid arthritis.

Another painful condition that may often be mistaken for rheumatism arthritis is Palindromic rheumatism or PR. Referred to as the Hench-Rosenberg syndrome after the two medical experts who suggested the medical term, this painful joint condition seems to recur over a period of time. In fact, the linguistic term palindrome applies to words like Mom, Dad, gag, and so on, which mean the same if you read them in either direction. In this case, it signifies a back and forth reaction. Palindromic rheumatism describes the back and forth pain of this condition.

Palindromic rheumatism may also seem like a ‘moving’ condition. It may affect several different joints at once or may recur in different joints over a period giving the impression that the pain is moving through the various joints. The biggest difference between Palindromic rheumatism and rheumatism arthritis is that the former does not cause any permanent joint damage and may also occur in soft tissues away from the joints.
It is very difficult to predict and diagnose Palindromic rheumatism since the swelling and pain may last for a few hours or a few days and then subside. Between Palindromic rheumatism attacks, there is no trace at all of swelling and inflammation. Many individuals who suffer from Palindromic rheumatism may go on to develop rheumatoid arthritis or arthritis of the bones. Hence, a wrong diagnosis may occur in the case of different types of arthritis.