Rheumatology
Dr.Michael Molloy and Dr. Sinead Harney lead the Rheumatology service. An outreach out patient service is facilitated in TGH once a month.
Access to the service is on a routine basis and can be made by forwarding a referral letter to the department. Referrals can be posted or faxed. Early OPD appointments are facilitated and prioritised on a case-by-case basis depending on clinical information provided.
Rheumatology medicine encompasses the treatment and management of patients with Rheumatic disease. The term Rheumatic diseases does not have a clear boundary and incorporates more than 100 different conditions including: Of these Osteoarthritis (OA) and Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) are the two most common Rheumatic diseases, accounting for a large percentage of disability worldwide. The economic and social burden of these diseases is great. Their impact on both individuals and society results from a decreased quality of life, loss of productivity and increased costs of healthcare. Without appropriate approaches to patient management and control of these diseases, this impact can be expected to increase as the population ages.
Treatment of RA is targeted toward both symptoms and disease modification. New treatments such as a range of biological agents have the potential to prevent or to stop the progress of the debilitating impact of RA. Many of the treatments involve close medical supervision from a clinical and side effect perspective. Treatment for OA is primarily targeted towards the alleviation of symptoms. Lifestyle modification, patient education and non-pharmacological therapy are considered important approaches in the treatment of OA.
In addition to the disease management process many patients have multi-system medical problems associated with their Rheumatic condition. Invariably this involves complex case management across renal, cardiac, respiratory and opthalmology specialties. The increased mortality in the RA population has been attributed mainly to infections, renal disease, respiratory disease and RA itself.
Patients with OA attend for Bone Mineral Density (BMD) measurement in the Dexa Scanning Unit located in CUH.
Emergency Access is by contact with the relevant consultants Medical Registrar through the hospital switchboard +353 (0)21 4922000 Monday to Friday 9-5pm and by contacting the registrar on call for in house (ward) duties for the general medical take service from 5-9am Monday to Friday and at weekends.