1. Any painful disorder of the joints, muscles or connective tissues
   "Her grandmother suffered from rheumatism in her hands"
    
2. A chronic autoimmune disease with inflammation of the joints and marked deformities; something (possibly a virus) triggers an attack on the synovium by the immune system, which releases cytokines that stimulate an inflammatory reaction that can lead to the destruction of all components of the joint
   "The patient's rheumatism caused severe pain and swelling in her hands";
   - rheumatoid arthritis, atrophic arthritis

Derived forms: rheumatisms

Type of: arthritis, autoimmune disease, autoimmune disorder, disease

Encyclopedia: Rheumatism