Until a few decades ago, rheumatism used to be considered an “incurable disease.” This all changed in 2003 when a new therapeutic drug known as “biological” appeared and created a paradigm shift. Until then complete cure was thought to be difficult to achieve for rheumatism but now there are eight different biologicals available. Appropriate treatment using these drugs may well result in remission, where the disease’s conditions settle down and the patient can lead a normal life without much disruption. Rheumatism is now a disease that can be tackled.

More than ten years have passed since the first biological drug became available. Would you say “It’s only been ten years”? I would say “It’s more than ten years” but an extremely large number of patients are still suffering from pain and deformed joints. I believe that the first step in treating the disease is to get many more patients to understand the disease properly. This is why I am proactive in publicizing information about rheumatism using the internet, which is probably the source of information that is easiest for patients to access. I want as many people as possible to know that receiving treatment for rheumatism means that they can lead life in the same way as they did before they contracted the disease.

“Rheumatism should not make you give up what you want to do” is my strong message and desire. This is why I ask patients in my consulting room, “When you are better, what do you want to do?” The patient in front of me is a person, an individual, and not just a patient. The treatment for rheumatism I offer is a method of enriching my patient’s everyday life and life in general. I would like to help patients with rheumatism to live an active and meaningful life. If I can do this, I would be the happiest physician on earth.