Quality of life of persons suffering from rheumatism from the patients' view

The chronic polyarthritis is an individually different chronic disease and often accompanied by a serious course of disease. Due to the fact that this disease goes along with pain, restricted movement, functional constraints up to the loss of function, the quality of life of rheumatics in the health, professional, social and mental field is heavily affected. The fast progress in the medical treatment of rhoumatics offer the possibility of preventing or at least alleviating or temporarily delaying functional constraints. If the medicinal treatment is not successful, functional contraints can be compensated by surgical interventions and the functionality can be restored or at least be improved. From the medical point of view, the quality of life of rheumatics has thus been increased considerably. However, the quality of life is not only influenced by the treatment of the disease but also by the subjectively felt physical, emotional and mental condition, the social role and the personal inner contentment of the individual. In order to achieve the quality of life described above, it is necessary to change the sense of life. A precondition for this is to accept the personal disease and to manage the disease. Therefore there must be a change in the physician-patient relationship in order to achieve this goal. The chronically ill who is actively involved in the treatment of the disease and who decides on his own responsibility due to his special knowledge lie has got with the help of the physician, is better prepared to arrange his life and to achieve a high quality of life. Although the treatment possibilities of the chronic polyarthritis offer good chances for a high quality of life and there, are already many emancipated patients among the persons suffering from rheumatism, that what has already been achieved and especially that what can be achieved in future is in danger. The measures of the Health Care Reform Acts discriminate against the chronically ill and endanger the progress achieved in the quality of life of these patients. This is a development which the society did not want to have. Therefore we have to find financial solutions in order to be able to finance the treatment of diseases and to increase or maintain the quality of life on the highest possible scientific level, now and especially in future. We have to strive for a consensus in society, the only way to achieve this aim.