International research grants
APLAR Research Grant 2026, and the SERB international travel grant of the Government of India for ACR 2023, San Diego.
RheumaCARE Bengaluru · Millers Road
Dr Prakashini M VConsultant rheumatologist in Bengaluru
Clinical immunologist · MBBS, MD, DM (Clinical Immunology and Rheumatology)
If joint pain or back pain has gone months without an answer, that is exactly what a rheumatologist is for.
10,000+patient consultations
10+years of clinical experience
30+scientific publications
5consultation languages
Most people arrive after months of pain and a folder of reports that were called normal. Here you get a real explanation, in plain words, and a plan on paper.
What Dr Prakashini treats
Pain that nobody has named yet is exhausting to live with. These four are her deepest clinical and research focus — open the one that sounds like yours.
Inflammatory back pain and Ankylosing Spondylitis (AS)Back pain that is worst in the morning and eases as you move
Back pain that lasts months, is worst in the morning and improves with movement is not ordinary back pain. Most people wait about two years for this diagnosis. One focused assessment is usually enough to tell whether this is what is going on.
Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE) in womenJoint pain with rashes, hair fall, mouth ulcers or deep fatigue
Joint pain with rashes, hair fall, mouth ulcers or deep fatigue deserves a careful look, especially in young women. Diagnosed early, lupus does far better, and pregnancy can be planned safely.
Systemic Sclerosis (SSc) and lung involvementFingers that turn white in the cold, tight skin, new breathlessness
Fingers that turn white in the cold, skin that feels tight, new breathlessness on stairs. These signs are easy to dismiss, and noticing them early matters. She lectures nationally and has published research on scleroderma and its lung disease.
Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA), gout and joint painSwollen morning hands, a hot painful toe, a high uric acid report
Swollen morning hands, a hot painful toe, a high uric acid report, joint pain after a viral fever. Every joint problem gets a clear answer and a plan, never just another painkiller strip.
She consults across the full range of rheumatic conditions
Sjögren’s disease · Vasculitis · Myositis · Psoriatic arthritis · Osteoarthritis · Fibromyalgia · Palindromic rheumatism · gout, uveitis with arthritis, and more
Your first visit, step by step
By the time people reach a rheumatologist they have usually told the story several times already. Here is exactly what the visit looks like, so none of it is a surprise.
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We listen first
A detailed history and an unhurried examination. Bring every old report, prescription and scan — nothing is too small to mention.
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Tests in the same visit
Only the tests that are needed. Samples and scans are taken here in the same visit, and you are told which reports come back today and which take a few days.
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A plain answer
The diagnosis, or what must be ruled out next, explained without jargon, in the language you think in.
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A written plan
Your medicines, warning signs and next review date, on paper. If a report is still awaited, the plan says what to do until it arrives.
Common questions
Should I see an orthopaedic doctor or a rheumatologist for joint pain?
Orthopaedics treats injuries and problems that may need surgery. Rheumatology treats pain from inflammation and autoimmune disease: many joints, morning stiffness, swelling without injury. Pain lasting over six weeks without an injury deserves a rheumatology opinion.
My morning stiffness lasts a long time. Does that matter?
Yes. Stiffness that takes more than 30 minutes to loosen after waking points toward inflammatory disease rather than ordinary wear and tear, and it is one of the most useful clues a rheumatologist has.
My ANA test is positive. Do I have lupus?
Not necessarily. A positive ANA is a screening result and occurs in many healthy people. What matters is the pattern, the titre, the specific antibodies and, above all, your symptoms. Bring the report; reading it properly takes one visit.
Do I need a referral to book an appointment?
No. You can book directly. If another doctor referred you, bring their note and your reports; a summary goes back to your referring doctor so your care stays joined up.
Are arthritis medicines lifelong?
Not always, and rarely at the same dose forever. Treatment is reviewed at every visit with the aim of the lowest effective medication. Stopping suddenly on your own is what causes trouble; adjusting together, with monitoring, is what works.
Where she trained, what she researches
Trained in India and the UK. She publishes research, teaches, and performs the procedures herself.
Recognised in Europe
EULAR Bursary 2026; research presented on the poster tour at EULAR 2026, London, with collaborators from Bath, UK.
UK clinical training
Indo-UK Rheumatology Fellowship 2025 at the Royal National Hospital for Rheumatic Diseases, Bath. MRCP (UK) Part 1.
Journal editor
Editorial board member of Clinical Rheumatology and associate editor of Immunologic Research, both Springer Nature journals.
Procedures, not just prescriptions
Joint injections, musculoskeletal ultrasound and nailfold capillaroscopy, trained through EULAR and IRA courses.
Research that reaches patients
Over 30 publications on lupus, spondyloarthritis, scleroderma and arthritis care.
Where her weeks go
Presenting research, teaching, and keeping up with what is newest in rheumatology.
Watch her explain it simply
Short patient explainers from the RheumaCARE English channel.
Diagnosed with Rheumatoid Arthritis? Know what to expect
Cold fingers, tight skin, acid reflux — should scleroderma concern you?
Diagnosed with Systemic Sclerosis? What is the way forward
Are your eyes and mouth dry? Sjögren’s syndrome
More explainers on RheumaCARE English on YouTube
Visit RheumaCARE Bengaluru
1/1, GF and FF, Millers Arcade, Millers Road, Vasanth Nagar, Bengaluru 560052 · Directions
Monday to Saturday, 9:00 am to 6:00 pm · Consultation, laboratory, pharmacy and physiotherapy in one centre
Consultations in English, Kannada, Hindi, Odia and Bengali.
Part of the RheumaCARE network of rheumatology centres in India. Also see: Dr Prakashini’s profile · the Bengaluru centre
This page is educational information about available medical services and is not a substitute for a consultation. Dr Prakashini M V, MBBS, MD, DM (Clinical Immunology and Rheumatology), Karnataka Medical Council Reg. No. 113674. Clinical experience counted from medical registration (2016); patient consultation count is a career estimate across training and independent practice. RheumaCARE Bengaluru is a registered private medical establishment.
