Block 9: gout, osteoarthritits, osteoporosis, PMR, Psoriasis Flashcards
Crystals in gout and CPPD
- Gout: negatively birefringent, needle shaped, monosodium urate
- Pseudogout: Positively birefringent, Rhomboidal, Calcium pyrophosphate
Clinical diagnosis of gout
- Mono-articular involvement of a foot/ankle joint
- Previous episodes of a similar nature
- Rapid onset
- Erythema
- Male
Treatment of gout
- Acute flare: NSAID (first line), Colchicine (caution in renal impairement, causes diarrhoea)
- Steroids (oral or injection): if NSAID’s and colchine are contraindicated can have intra-articular steroid injections, IL1 inhibitors
Treatment of gout: prevention
- Prevention and management: lifestyle modification, change diet, reduce alcohol, weight loss, Allopurinal or febuxostat. Probenecid
- Allopurinol is first like prophylaxis form of urate lowering therapy (ULT) and is started when inflammation has settled. If refractory use urate oxidase or pegloticase
- Increase vitamin C
- Use losartan if co-existent hypertension
Gout complications
- Tophi
- Bone complications: degenerative arthritis due to bone erosion and weakening of joints
- Osteoporosis
- Kidney disease
- Mental health: depression
Crystal arthropathy management
- Acute: NSAIDs + PPI, Colchine, Corticosteroids oral/IA, Interleukin 1B inhibitor if refractors
- Chronic: attain normal BMI, stop alcohol, stay hydrated. After an acute attack Allopurinol. Febuostat, Probenecid, Rasburicase (severe/refractors)
- Chronic CPPD: identify and treat and underlying metabolic abnormalities. NSAIDs and PPI, Colchine, Corticosteroids, Methotrexate, Hydroxylchloroquine
x ray of a joint affected by gout shows
- Maintained joint space(no loss of joint space)
- Lytic lesionsin the bone
- Punched out erosions
- Erosions can havesclerotic borderswithoverhanding edges
Fibromyalgia
- Commonest cause of widespread MSK pain in women 20-55
- No abnormalities in blood tests or imaging
- Normal examination findings except tenderness
- Possible disorder of pain regulation: overlap with MH issues
- Difficult to treat
- Chronic- major cause of disability
- Poor prognosis: no cure and long course
Fibromyalgia symptoms
- Widespread pain in muscles, tendons and ligaments (but not joints)
- Fatigue
- Morning stiffness <1 hour
- Pins and needles in hands and feet
- Unrefreshing sleep, insomnia
- Low mood: could do PHQ9
- Cognitive symptoms: brain fog
- Can co-exist with other MSK conditions: may be primary or secondary to it
Diagnosis of fibromyalgia
- Widespread pain for >3 months
- Fatigue, sleep disturbance
- Cognitive disturbance
- Headaches, IBS symptoms
- Tenderness but no swelling/inflammation on examination: diagnosis more likely id tender in at least 11 out of 18 points on the body
- Non specific- can fulfil criteria even if you have different condition
Management of fibromyalgia
- Difficult
- Drugs: Analgesics mainly ineffective, Tricyclic anti-depressants may have some effect, Pregabalin, duloxetine, amitriptyline
- CBT, “talking therapies”
- Graded exercise
- Explanation of disorder
- Local heat application
Investigations fibromyalgia
Do bloods to exclude other disorders for example,hypothyroidism, inflammatory disorders, andhepatitis C. Example Blood tests iclude:U+Es, FBC, TFTs,LFTs, CRP / ESR, Rheumatoid factor,Ca2+, ANA, immunoglobulins.
Kellgren-Lawence grading scale for knee arthritis
- Normal: no features of OA
- Doubtful: minute osteophytes, doubtful significance
- Mild: definite osteophytes, normal joint space
- Moderate: moderate joint space reduction
- Severe: joint space is greatly reduced, subchondral sclerosis
OA hands changes
- Herberden’s nodes- distal interphalangeal joint
- Bouchard nodes- proximal interphalangeal joint
Non inflammatory arthritis i.e. Osteoarthritis
- 4 cardinal symptoms: pain, stiffness, swelling, loss of function/ difficulty in activities of daily living
- Pain: worse during or after activity
- Stiffness: can be in the mornings (tend to be less than 30 minutes) and on or after activity
- Bony swelling
- Difficulty in ADL
Joint involvement in osteoarthritis
spine (spondylosis), carpometocarpal joint, distal interphalangeal joint, knees, in the big toe the metatarsal pharyngeal joint
Joint involvement in RA
wrists, metacarpal pharyngeal joints, PIP, ankles and metatarsal pharyngeal joints
Inflammatory arthritis (RA)
- 4 cardinal symptoms: Pain, stiffness, swelling, loss of function/difficulty in activities of daily living
- Pain: often worse in the mornings and on activity
- Stiffness: worse in the mornings (prolonged early morning stiffness >30 minutes) and on inactivity
- Swelling in joints
- Difficulty in ADL
Bone remodelling
- Trabecular bone (spongy bone): replaced every 3-4 years
- Cortical bone (compact bone): replaced every 10 years
- Bone breakdown: osteoclasts
- Bone formation: osteoblasts
Pathology of osteoporosis
- Thinning of cortical bone
- Fewer trabecular
- Bone cells are normal with normal mineralisation
- There is more bone breakdown with osteoclasts then bone formation with osteoblasts