Joint Pathology

Question 1

name the components of a typical synovial joint

Answer 1

Question 2

signs and symptoms of osteoarthritis?

radiological signs?

Risk factors?

Answer 2

• stiff, sore joints at end of long day in older person
• affecting both distal and proximal joints:
• reduced range of motion
• crepitus
• osteophytes
• typically initiated by injury to that joint
• no abnormal blood tests
• x-ray signs relating to cartilage wear (bone rubs on bone causing pain)
• Risk factor: age and trauma to the joint

Question 3

signs and symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis?

radiological signs?

Risk factors?

Answer 3

-autoimmune chronic inflammatory condition which attacks the synovium in the joint

• signs and symptoms: more than one joint, pain in the mornings
• blood test antibodies present
• x ray is less useful
• risk factors: certain genes, smoking, and being female

Question 4

signs and symptoms of gout?

radiological signs?

Risk factors?

Answer 4

• painful inflammation of a single joint
• caused by ppt of uric acid crystals
• uric acid crystals present in blood
• x-ray detects very advanced gout only
• RF: too much uric acid (related to metabolic syndrome, obesity, diabetes, blood pressure)

Question 5

what type of cartilage is articular cartilage?

Answer 5

Recall: There are three varieties of cartilage, hyaline, elastic, and fibrocartilage. The most abundant type is hyaline, found as supportive tissues in the nose, ears, trachea, larynx, and smaller respiratory tubes.

Answer:

As articular cartilage, hyaline is found covering thearticular surfaces of bones in synovial joints.

Question 6

which of these components is not part of articular cartilage?

1. chondrocytes
2. matrix of type II collagen and GAG’s
3. blood vessels
4. water

Answer 6

3. blood vessels!

NB: no vasculature, perfusion is performed via compression/decompression of cartilage/exercise

Question 7

which two cell types make up the synovium?

what is synovial fluid?

Answer 7

Type A cells (macrophage like) 25%

Type B cells (fibroblast like) 75%

plasma filtrate containing hyaluronic acid, lubricin

NB: not an epithelium, just a set of cells that are rich with capillaries allowing fluid to go in and out of joint space

Question 8

osteoarthritis (OA) is a [……] degenerative disease.

involves [….] and [….] released from cartilage matrix and produced by synovial joints.

the degeneration affects the [..3..]

Answer 8

focal degenerative disease.

—>cytokines (Il-1) and enzymes (collagenases, MMP’s)

—>affects capsule, synovium and underlying bone