M05.07: Felty syndrome Ankle and foot

You have a rheumatic disorder that is causing joint inflammation in your ankle or foot.

At their lower end, the two lower leg bones have a bony prominence. These bony prominences on the ankles are called malleolus bones. The ankle joint is between the lower leg and the foot. There is an upper and lower ankle joint. The foot and toes consists of a lot of small bones and joints. At the back is the tarsus, followed by the metatarsus and then the individual phalanges of the feet.

An inflammation in the joints can cause various symptoms. Typical is a swollen, painful joint. The skin above the joint may also be red. It may also no longer be possible to move the joint as usual.

The joint inflammation has been caused by a rheumatic disease. A rheumatic disease can affect the entire body. There may be inflammation in the bones, the connective tissue, and the joints. The symptoms can be more and less severe. It is thought that rheumatic diseases are caused by a person’s immune system producing antibodies against their own body. These antibodies attack the body’s own tissue. The tissue can get inflamed and damaged as a result.

There are various kinds of defense cells (immune cells) in the blood. As a result of the rheumatic disease you have fewer of one particular type of defense cell in your blood. As a result, you may more easily get infected by pathogens.