Many rheumatic diseases cause changes that are visible in the hands. This book provides an overview of the most common rheumatic diseases with a focus on their hand manifestations and includes the following topics: Epidemiology, Etiology and Pathogenesis; Hand Manifestations; Further Clinical Manifestations; and the Diagnosis and Therapy of Each Disease. The rheumatic diseases addressed are osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, gout, calcium pyrophosphate dihydrate deposition disease, psoriatic arthritis, reactive arthritis, systemic sclerosis and dermatomyositis/polymyositis.
The non-rheumatic diseases included are diabetic cheiroarthropathy, endocarditis, secondary hypertrophic osteoarthropathy and chronic regional pain syndrome. The roles of clinical evaluation, X-ray, MRI and high-resolution ultrasonographic images are also discussed.

Raphael Micheroli is a resident physician in training for the board certification of Rheumatology in Switzerland. In November 2015 he will have completed the mandatory two-year period in internal medicine, practicing at the district hospital of Glarus. Thereafter, he will work at the Rheumatology Department of University Hospital of Zurich.