Research
What they are
Rheumatic and musculoskeletal disorders
Rheumatic and musculoskeletal diseases (RMDs) is a collective term for different bone and joint diseases. There are at least 150 different conditions, which can be broadly divided into four categories: osteoarthritis and similar disorders, inflammatory, soft-tissue and bone diseases.
They affect people of all ages, sexes and races. Many of these diseases run in families. Most can be treated to relieve the symptoms or slow the progress of the disease, but rheumatic and musculoskeletal diseases cannot at present be cured.
Rheumatic and musculoskeletal diseases primarily express themselves as aches and pains in or around the joints. These are generally caused by inflammation or long-lasting damage, which means that the affected joint cannot move smoothly as it should and causes pain, stiffness and swelling.
The symptoms may stay the same for years, or they may get worse over time. Severe forms lead to chronic pain, the inability to do normal activities or work, and permanent, irreversible joint changes. These changes may be visible, such as knobby finger joints or a bent spine, but often the damage can only be seen on X-ray. Some forms also affect the heart, eyes, lungs, kidneys and skin as well as the joints.
The most well-known form is osteoarthritis, which is generally presented as a chronic, long-lasting disease with progressive breakdown of joint cartilage, leading to bone-on-bone friction, pain, and stiffness. This traditional view of “wear and tear” is now understood to be incomplete. Research shows that inflammation plays a crucial role in disease progression, with the immune system reacting to joint damage, causing ongoing pain and stiffness. So, osteoarthritis is not just a simple mechanical breakdown. Research is needed to understand the disease better to develop better treatments.
Examples of inflammatory forms of arthritis are rheumatoid arthritis, axial spondyloarthritis and psoriatic arthritis, forms of vasculitis such as scleroderma or lupus, and gout. Soft tissue rheumatism includes the fibromyalgia syndrome. The most common bone disease is osteoporosis.
The University Hospital Zürich has summarised the most common forms in the chart below. If you are looking for detailed information on specific diseases and support, please refer to the activities page where we provide links to Swiss patient associations with reliable information sources.
Get involved!
RheumaCura is building a network to bring together people who are interested and support our work to make research more relevant to patient needs. We are inclusive and work together with all stakeholders. We are part of a rapidly growing network of people in Switzerland who want to see more patient-centred medical research. Our focus is rheumatic and musculoskeletal diseases.
If you are interested to get involved, find out how here, and Contact Us.
Outpatient spending by disease groups for men and women separately (% of total assigned spending). Source: Stucki, M., et al. BMC Health Serv Res 21, 1264 (2021)
Prevalence and costs
Rheumatic and musculoskeletal disorders (RMDs) are the leading contributors to disability worldwide. It is estimated that over 2 million people in Switzerland, or one person in four, suffer from one of these diseases. This is consistent with rates observed in other Western countries.
Most rheumatic and musculoskeletal disorders are more common among women, and some, such as Osteoarthritis, become more frequent as people get older. However, it is a mistaken belief that RMDs only affect older generations. Rheumatoid arthritis and Spondyloarthritis each affect between 70’000-150’000 people of all ages. About 5’000 children under 16 suffer from forms of Juvenile Arthritis and other disorders, and also start in childhood or early adulthood.
Due to their diverse symptoms and a lack of understanding of their complexity, an exact diagnosis is often difficult, and patients may wait many years for recognition of their disease and appropriate treatment. The number of people in Switzerland affected by a rheumatic and musculoskeletal disease is not known. An important proxy for the burden of disease in society is its financial costs.
Musculoskeletal disorders represent the leading cause of outpatient healthcare spending among all disease groups in Switzerland. Beyond these direct medical costs, they impose considerable social and economic burdens through invalidity, work absenteeism, and disability. Advancing treatment options for musculoskeletal conditions could therefore not only relieve patients’ suffering but also contribute to lowering overall healthcare expenditures.
Typology of rheumatic and
musculoskeletal diseases
Research
Here are some ways that open questions could be addressed.
Why do so many rheumatic and musculoskeletal diseases run in families?
Some rheumatic and musculoskeletal diseases can run in families because certain risk factors are passed down from parents to their children. Researchers have already discovered many genes that may increase this risk, but the exact role of these genes in causing the diseases is still not well understood. Patient‑centred research can help answer open questions about heredity by linking “who gets sick and how” in real life with clinical findings. Read an original research article here.
Why are women more affected by rheumatic and musculoskeletal diseases than men?
Women are more often affected because female hormones and genes on the X chromosome influence how the immune system works, making women more prone to autoimmune and pain conditions than men. In the past gender differences were not actively observed by research. Funding research that examines gender issues is still difficult. It is time to close the gender gap in medical research and to understand the influence of gender on disease vulnerability. Read an original research article here.
What is the influence of age and ageing on the disease processes?
Ageing weakens repair, immunity and the body’s ability to keeps its inner balance (“homeostasis”). This makes it more susceptible to chronic, degenerative and inflammatory diseases. Patient‑centred research can clarify how both age and the ageing process shape disease by combining medical data with patients own reports of symptoms, function, and priorities at different life stages. Read an original research article here.
How to stop damage to joints?
Inflammation is a hallmark of many rheumatic and musculoskeletal diseases and a major cause of pain and joint damage. Research in molecular cell biology and immunology is clarifying the signals and pathways that drive this inflammation. Patient‑centred research can strengthen this work by connecting these biological processes with patients real‑life symptoms, flares, and treatment responses, helping to focus new therapies on what matters most in everyday life. Read an original research article here.
Why do patients sometimes feel poorly understood and supported by their doctors, although healthcare professionals are providing the best care that they can?
There is a clear mismatch between what patients say matters most in their lives and what clinicians have been trained to focus on in routine care. Patients consistently prioritise fatigue, poor sleep, and uncertainty about their future work, family life, and finances, yet these areas receive less attention in consultations than clinical signs such as swollen joints. These patient‑important aspects, which are closely linked to disease activity, physical functioning, and overall quality of life, are rarely measured systematically, so they are largely absent from routine data and under‑represented in research. Read an original research article here.
Do environmental factors such as pollution, trauma, stress or diet cause rheumatic and musculoskeletal diseases?
Environmental factors like pollution, injury, stress, or diet usually don’t cause rheumatic and musculoskeletal diseases by themselves, but they can increase the risk or trigger flare-ups in people who are already prone to them. So far, little research has looked at how these factors might change the way genes work, but more patient‑centred studies are needed to understand this better. Read more here.
Does living actively and practising sport affect rheumatic and musculoskeletal diseases?
Regular physical activity can lessen pain, improve movement, reduce tiredness, and make daily life easier for people with rheumatic and musculoskeletal diseases. We need to understand better why exercise helps and which types of activity are most effective for different patients. Patient‑centred research can show which kinds of movement and sport are most helpful, and how healthcare teams, families, and communities can best support people to stay active in the long term. Read more here.
How to better control pain?
Chronic pain is a key feature of many rheumatic and musculoskeletal diseases and greatly reduces well‑being. It is still poorly understood, and without better knowledge of how chronic pain arises and is maintained in the body and nervous system, it is hard to improve treatment. Patient‑centred research can link biological findings with patients own descriptions of pain, triggers, coping strategies, and daily impact, helping to uncover underlying pain mechanisms and guide more targeted management. Read an original research article here.
How can the complete person – physically, psychologically, socially, and spiritually – be understood in the context of treating a rheumatic or musculoskeletal disease?
This question goes to the heart of what RheumaCura advocates for. Whole-person, patient-centred care listens to what matters to the person and then tailors medical, emotional, social and spiritual support into a shared care plan along their individual disease journey. Read an original research article here.