Webster's New World Medical Dictionary

rhabdomyosarcoma, embryonal
See 
sarcoma
botryoides.
rheumatic fever
An illness that occurs in the
wake of a streptococcus infection (strep throat, or
related condition) or scarlet fever, primarily in chil-
dren. Symptoms include fever, pain in the joints,
nausea, stomach cramps, and vomiting. Rheumatic
fever can cause long-lasting effects in the joints,
heart, brain, and skin. Rheumatic fever may be fol-
lowed by Sydenham’s chorea and by symptoms
characteristic of obsessive-compulsive disorder or a
tic disorder. Treatment usually involves use of pro-
phylactic antibiotics, as reoccurrence is common
and can cause further damage to body tissues. See
also 
Sydenham’s chorea.
rheumatic heart disease
Heart damage caused
by rheumatic fever. Treatment involves prevention of
reinfection with streptococcus and use of medica-
tions to treat any heart complications, as needed.
rheumatism
An older term used to describe a
number of painful conditions of muscles, tendons,
joints, and bones. Rheumatic conditions have been
classified as localized (confined to a specific loca-
tion, such as bursitis and tendonitis), regional (in a
larger region, such as chest wall pain), or general-
ized (affecting many and diverse parts of the body,
as in fibromyalgia). Rheumatic diseases and condi-
tions are characterized by symptoms involving the
musculoskeletal system; many also feature immune
system abnormalities.
rheumatism, psychogenic
Rheumatism in
which the patient reports inconsistent pains of mus-
cles and joints that do not correspond to true
anatomy and physiology. The patient is felt to 
have underlying psychological causes for these
symptoms.
rheumatism, regional
Rheumatism in a larger
region, such as chest wall pain, temporomandibular
joint pain, and myofascial pain syndrome pain.