Arthritis Flashcards
Is osteoarthritis a inflammatory disorder?
No, it’s a non-inflammatory disorder
What does osteoarthritis involve?
primarily affecting weight-bearing joints of the peripheral and axial skeleton
deterioration and changes to the articular cartilage result in formation of new bone at the joint surfaces
What are the risk factors associated with osteoarthritis?
Age Gender Obesity Activities Genetics Race Osteoporosis
What are the risk factors for osteoarthritis associated with age?
Not a cause, but incidence increase with increased age.
Affects almost 50% of those >65 years of age
Almost all over 75 years of age
What are the risk factors for osteoarthritis associated with gender?
2:1 older women to older men with OA of the knee and hand.
What are the risk factors for osteoarthritis associated with obesity?
Increased body weight strongly associated with hip, knee, and hand OA
Increased body mass = increased risk of OA because of increased weight on weight-bearing joints.
Losing as little as 5 Kg can decrease the risk by up to 50 % of developing symptomatic OA.
What are the risk factors for osteoarthritis associated with activities?
Activities involving repetitive motion or injury are at increased risk. Work, sports and trauma have been implicated in OA.
If daily repetitive use: then duration and intensity play a major part in OA.
Trauma to the joint resulting in loss of ligament integrity and damage to the meniscus can lead to OA.
What are the risk factors for osteoarthritis associated with genetics?
Involved in certain types of OA. Genetic links that alter the cartilage matrix can lead to premature OA.
What are the risk factors for osteoarthritis associated with race?
Knee OA twice as likely in black women compared to white women
What are the risk factors for osteoarthritis associated with osteoporosis?
There may be an inverse relationship associated with OA of the knee and hip. Less dense bone may better distribute the load across the joint, slowing the development of OA. This is a controversial theory.
What does cartilage provide?
Low-friction surface covering the concave and convex ends of the bone to provide a load support and shock absorbing and smooth gliding surface during movement.
What is the major function of cartilage?
Enable movement within required ROM
Distribute loading across joint tissues, to prevent damage
Stabilize joint during use
Cartilage is avascular, aneural, and alymphatic
What is involved in the pathophysiology of osteoarthritis?
- Damage to collagen fiber network
- There is a resultant decrease in proteoglycan-collagen interaction in the cartilage causing failure of the cartilage to repair itself. This causes a loss of cartilage, leading to bony growth and severe pain.
- Joint failure results from a progressive breakdown of cartilage surrounding weight-bearing joints.
- Biochemical, biomechanical, inflammatory and immunologic factors contribute to the collapse of the cartilage.
- NOT INFLAMMATORY ARTHRITIS
What is primary (idiopathic) osteoarthritis?
Failure of the cartilage in the absence of any known underlying predisposing factor
What are the most common types of primary osteoarthritis?
Localized OA (one or two sites) Generalized OA (3 or more sites)
What is erosive OA?
Presence of erosion and marked proliferattion in proximal and distal interphalangeal joints of hands
What is secondary osteoarthritis?
OA that occurs due to other disease states or trauma, i.e. metabolic or endocrine disorders or congenital factors
What is the ACR criteria for OA?
Presence of pain
Bony changes on exam
Normal erythrocyte sedimentation rate
Characteristic radiographs
What is the ACR criteria for Hip OA?
Hip pain plus 2 of the following
ESR <20 mm/hour
Radiographic femoral or acetabular osteophytes
Radiographic joint space narrowing
What is the ACR criteria for knee OA?
Knee pain and radiographic osteophytes plus one of the following
Age greater than 50
Morning stiffness of 30 minutes or less
Crepitus on motion
What are the clinical symptoms of OA?
- Localized deep aching pain associated with the affected joint.
- Relieved with rest or removal of weight from affected joint.
- Later pain is associated with rest it is not relieved by rest.
- Weather changes or changes in barometric pressure aggravates the pain.
- Limitation in motion, crepitus, stiffness and deformities may occur. Stiffness less than 30 minutes
- With loss of articular surfaces, muscle spasms, capsular contracture, and mechanical blockage, with limited motion.
- Joints most affected in idiopathic OA are DIP and PIP of the hand, the first carpometacarpal joint, knees, hips, cervical and lumbar spine, and the first (metatarsophalangeal) MTP joint of the toe.
What is found on PE for OA?
Pain, tenderness, decreased range of motion, +/-inflammation. Asymmetrical involvement
Feet: Pain, tenderness, stiffness of MTP joint.
What is found on PE for hands for OA?
Heberden’s nodes -bony enlargements (osteophytes) of the DIP joints. Heberden’s nodes usually develop slowly, nonpainful, lateral and medial aspects of joint.
Bouchard’s nodes-bony enlargements of the PIP joints.
What is found on PE for the feet for OA?
Pain, tenderness, stiffness of MTP joint.
What is found on PE for the knees for OA?
Pain, tenderness, crepitus, limitation of motion, joint instability. Area of involvement causes deviation toward opposite direction.
What is found on PE for the hips for OA?
Groin or buttock pain when bearing weight.
What is found on PE for the spine for OA?
Pain, tenderness, paresthesias, muscle weakness, & loss of reflexes.
Usually L3-L4 is the area of involvement.
Is radiological evaluation necessary for diagnosing OA? And what are the radiological findings?
Radiologic evaluation is essential in the diagnosis of OA.
Joint space narrowing, subchondral bony sclerosis, and marginal osteophyte and cyst formation.
What are the non-drug therapies used to treat OA?
Rest Physical therapy ROM Muscle strengthening Assistive devices- canes, walkers Diet-weight loss- more weight on the joints is harder on the joints so losing weight is beneficial.
What physical therapy can help with OA?
- Heat and cold can maintain and regain joint range of motion, relieve pain, and decreased muscle spasm.
- Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS)-transmission of an electrical current from the skin to the peripheral nerve may provide pain relief for acute pain.
- Exercise programs using isometric techniques are designed to strengthen the muscle and improve joint function and motion.
- Surgery-indicated for patients whose pain hinders their lifestyle, and can not be controlled with conservative therapy.
- Laser-Red or Infrared light have been effective, as well as Helium-neon laser.
- Acupuncture- been shown to be beneficial
- Pulsed Electromagnetic Fields
What is the goal of drug therapy for OA?
Goal: To relieve pain and inflammation.
Drug therapy does not prevent progression of OA. Only treat symptoms.
What analgesics can be used to treat OA?
-Oral acetaminophen/NSAIDS
-Topical capsaicin
-Glucosamine/chondroitin
-Intra-articular injections- Corticosteroids, Viscosupplementation: Hyaluronic acid
Opioids
Acetaminophen
Used to reduce pain but not inflammation
Some evidence suggests that NSAIDS are moer efficacious than APAP
Max dose 3.2g/d, monitor for liver and renal toxicity
NSAIDS
Non-selective NSAIDs equally effective compared with COX-2 inhibitors
Analgesic effect at lower doses
Anti-inflammatory effect at higher doses.
Affects platelet function, but is reversible unlike ASA.
Renal toxicity:
monitor Cr, BUN
GI Side effects- concern
monitor for bleeding: CBC, stool guaiac
Topical capsaicin
Inhibits release of substance P in peripheral nerves
Substance P is not present in cartilage, but is present in nerves supplying other periarticular tissues
Initial applications result in stinging and burning that subsides with continued use
Initial release of substance P
Maximal efficacy after 2-4 weeks
Glucosamine
Prepared from shells of crabs and other crustaceans
Substrate for production of articular cartilage
Produces glycosaminoglycans
Symptom improvement usually reported at 4-8 weeks compared with 2 weeks with NSAIDs
1500 mg/day compared with ibuprofen and piroxicam 20 mg/day As effective in improving symptoms
Chondroitin
Prepared from bovine or porcine cartilage sources
Mucopolysaccharide used in synthesis of cartilage
1200 mg/day compared with diclofenac 150 mg/day as effective in decreasing pain at 3 months
Response appears later than NSAIDs
What corticosteroids are used in OA?
Intra-articular injections
Triamcinolone acetonide
Methylprednisolone
Corticosteroids (Triamcinolone acetonide
Methylprednisolone)
Short-term improvement of symptoms in knee (1‐6 weeks)
Some studies indicate injections q3months over 2 years to be safe and may provide superior effects over placebo
Limit injections to 3-4 x/year
Animal studies show more frequent injections precipitate progressive cartilage damage
Are oral steroids recommended in OA?
NO
What is viscosupplementation?
Intraarticular injection Hyaluronic acid (HA)
Viscosupplementation (Hyaluronic acid)
Naturally occuring glycosaminoglycan Available products Sodium hyaluronate and hylan G-F 20 Acts as a viscous lubricant Mixed clinical trial results May reduce need for NSAIDs
What narcotic or narcotic/analgesics can be used for OA?
propoxyphene
Codeine/oxycodone/hydrocodone
many of these agents are combined with acetaminophen, caution when using these agents with other acetaminophen agents (Max APAP = 4gm/day)
What is the biggest ADR for narcotic use?
Respiratory depression
What is rheumatoid arthritis?
A chronic systemic inflammatory disease of the joints and related structures
Genetic predisposition and exposure to unknown environmental factors
High disability rate and shortened life expectancy by 5-7 years