Textbook of Rheumatology: Volume II - Hardcoverby Marylin Harter (Editor) Rheumatology is a field of internal medicine that deals with the diagnosis and treatment of rheumatic diseases. These diseases are usually autoimmune or inflammatory disorders associated with arthritis, dermatomyositis, gout, lupus erythematosus, Lyme disease, mixed connective tissue disease, polychondritis, polymyositis, and vasculitis. Rheumatology focuses on diseases and conditions that affect joints, soft tissues, or