MSK - CLINICAL CONDITIONS Flashcards
what are causes / risk factors for RA?
- linked with HLA-DR1 gene
- family history
- smoking
- female
- 30-60 yrs old
what are the articular features of RA?
- polyarthritis: swollen, painful joints (symmetrical and hand involvement)
- early morning stiffness (lasting more than 1hr), eases with movement
- MCP, and PIP joints (DIP joints often NOT involved), MTP also commonly involved
- ulnar deviation, boutonniere and swan-neck deformities of fingers
- subluxation of hand joints
- if RA affects C1-C2 joint then can threaten spinal cord (patient will have neck pain)
what are the extra-articular features of RA?
- rheumatoid nodules (fingers, elbows, Achilles tendon, lung nodules rare)
- olecranon and subacromial bursitis/tenosynovitis common
- carpal tunnel syndrome (synovitis can entrap median nerve)
what are the systemic features of RA?
- can be systemically unwell (fever, weight loss, fatigue)
- anaemia of chronic disease
- Felty syndrome (patient has triad of RA, splenomegaly, and leukopenia)
- rheumatoid lung disease (pulmonary fibrosis)
what drug makes rheumatoid nodules worse?
- methotrexate
what investigations should you do for RA?
AUTOANTIBODIES:
- Rheumatoid factor: found in 70-90% of patients
- Anti-CCP: highly specific (98%)
ESR + CRP: raised
FBC: shows anaemia of chronic disease
Bilateral plain X-RAY: soft tissue swelling, periarticular osteoporosis, erosions, joint space narrowing
(HLA-DR1 associated)
what is the line of management for RA? (start with first-line)
SHORT-TERM:
- NSAIDs (use PPI if long-term use: omeprazole)
- Corticosteroids (prednisolone)
LONGER TERM:
- DMARDs (methotrexate, leflunomide, hydroxychloroquine, sulfasalazine)
- Anti-TNF biologics (infliximab, entanercept, adalimumab)
- NOTE: when anti-TNF biologics do not work then use other biologic RITUXIMAB (monoclonal antibody against B cells)
- (use multidisciplinary team: rheumatologist, physio, OT)
what measuring score is used to measure disease activity in RA?
- DAS-28 score
- aim to reduce score to <3
which DMARD can pregnant women not have?
- methotrexate
what type of joints does OA affect?
- synovial joints
what are the risk factors / causes of OA?
- older age
- female
- occupation
- obesity
- muscle weakness
what are the clinical features of OA?
- aching/burning pain, swelling, deformity, stiffness (DIP involvement)
- gradual onset
- worse with activity and after
- night pain
- usually asymmetrical
- Heberden nodes and Bouchard nodes on hands
what are the radiographical features seen in OA?
- joint space narrowing
- sclerosis
- subchondral cysts and osteophytes
what investigations should you do for OA?
- EXAMINATION: tenderness, movement painful, crepitus, loss of range of movement
- X:RAY: joint space narrowing, sclerosis, subchondral cysts and osteophytes
- (only role of blood tests is to rule out other causes)
what is the line of management for OA?
- (no cure for OA, treatment is to reduce pain and maintain function)
CONSERVATIVE:
- lifestyle changes (exercise, lose weight)
- physio
- NSAIDs early, then paracetamol and codeine, then corticosteroid injections if needed
SURGICAL (last resort):
- Arthroplasty: commonly knee or hip, effective and lasts for 10yrs
- Arthrodesis (fusion): commonly ankle and foot, helps pain but movement is lost
- Osteotomy (realignment): correction of deformity)
what are the 4 seronegative arthritis’?
- ankylosing spondylitis
- psoriatic arthritis
- reactive arthritis
- enteropathic arthritis
what does ankylosing spondylitis, psoriatic arthritis, reactive arthritis, and enteropathic arthritis have in common?
- all positive for HLA-B27
- all negative for rheumatoid factor
- all have extra-skeletal features
- all typically involve inflammatory back pain with morning stiffness
- all typically involve axial arthritis (sacroiliitis and spondylitis)
- all typically involve enthesitis and dactylitis
what are the causes / risk factors for ankylosing spondylitis?
- male
- peak onset is mid 20’s
- association with osteoporosis
what are the SKELETAL features of ankylosing spondylitis?
- pain and stiffness in low back, buttocks, and/or hips
- reduced mobility of lumbar spine (Schober’s test)
- early morning stiffness or after sitting still for a while, improves with movement/exercise
- sacroiliac joints tender
- involvement of thoracic spine and enthesitis of costovertebral joints can cause chest pain and breathlessness
- as disease progresses: posture deteriorates, normal lumbar lordosis lost, thoracic and cervical spine become more kyphotic (? posture)
what are the EXTRA-SKELETAL features of ankylosing spondylitis?
- Acute anterior uveitis (eye becomes red and painful, blurred vision)
- Aortitis
- Atypical lung fibrosis
- Amyloidosis (build up of amyloid proteins, affects organ and tissue function)
- (can also get Achilles tendonitis)
what investigations should be done for ankylosing spondylitis?
- X-RAY + MRI: to see the inflammation (sacroiliitis), syndesmophytes (bamboo spine), and small erosions at corners of vertebral bodies (squaring)
- EXAMINATION: Schober’s test (mark at L5, mark 5cm below, mark 10cm above, gap should increase by at least 5cm when lumbar spine flexed)
- ESR + CRP: raised
- HLA-B27 associated
- FBC: shows anaemia of chronic disease
- rheumatoid factor: negative
what is the line of management for ankylosing spondylitis?
- physio
- NSAIDs (use PPI if long-term: omeprazole)
- corticosteroid injections if needed
- Anti-TNF biologics (infliximab, entanercept, adalimumab)
- Anti-IL17A biologics (secukinumab)
what are the causes / risk factors for psoriatic arthritis?
- psoriasis occurs in 1-3% of population, and roughly 10% of those are affected by psoriatic arthritis
- more common in patients with psoriatic nail involvement
what are the clinical features of psoriatic arthritis?
- psoriasis usually presents first then arthritis follows
- can present as asymmetrical oligoarthritis, affecting <3 joints
- can present as symmetrical arthritis of hands and feet (similar to RA)
- can present as spondylitis (stiffness of neck and spine)
- can present as DIP presentation of fingers and toes
(- can present as psoriatic arthritis mutilans (very rare)) - psoriatic nail dystrophy (oncholysis, pitting, hyperkeratosis)
- dactylitis
what investigations should you do for psoriatic arthritis?
- ESR + CRP: raised
- HLA-B27 associated
- FBC: shows anaemia of chronic disease
- rheumatoid factor negative
- X-RAY: erosions, pencil-in-cup deformities
what is the line of management for psoriatic arthritis?
- NSAIDs (use PPI if long-term: omeprazole)
- corticosteroid injections if needed
- DMARDs (methotrexate, leflunomide, sulfasalazine, hydroxychloroquine)
- Anti-TNF biologics (infliximab, entanercept, adalimumab)
- Anti-IL17A biologics (secukinumab)
what are the causes / risk factors for reactive arthritis? (also most common bacteria)
- patient has had a recent infection (few days/weeks prior to joint pain)
- most common bacteria for reactive arthritis is Chlamydia trachomatis (causes urethritis)
- enteric bacteria are also common (salmonella, shigella, yersinia, campylobacter, clostridium difficile), these cause gastroenteritis and colitis
what are the clinical features of reactive arthritis?
- asymmetrical arthritis of large-weight bearing joints (knees/sacroiliac joints), can also affect fingers and toes
- dactylitis
- conjunctivitis (sterile)
- urethritis (sterile), often causes dysuria
- enthesitis
- Reiter syndrome: triad of arthritis, conjunctivitis, and uveitis
what investigations should you do for reactive arthritis?
- always joint aspirate: gram stain + culture to rule out septic arthritis
- cultures on urine (and swabs from urethra, cervix, throat): Chlamydia trachomatis
- cultures on stool samples: Enteric bacteria
- ESR + CRP: raised
- HLA-B27 associated
- FBC: shows anaemia of chronic disease
- rheumatoid factor negative
what is the line of management for reactive arthritis?
- treat any underlying infection with antibiotics
- NSAIDs (use PPI if long-term: omeprazole)
- corticosteroid injections if needed
- Anti-TNF biologics (infliximab, entanercept, adalimumab)
- Anti-IL17A biologics (secukinumab)
- (DMARDs rarely used)
what is reactive arthritis?
- reactive arthritis is an aseptic arthritis that occurs after an infection
what is enteropathic arthritis?
- enteropathic arthritis is an arthritis occurring with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD)
what are the causes / risk factors for enteropathic arthritis?
- occurs in 10-20% of patients with Crohn disease or ulcerative colitis
what are the clinical features of enteropathic arthritis?
- commonly peripheral arthritis
- worsens with flaring of the bowel disease, and improves if the affected bowel is surgically removed
- spondylitis and sacroiliitis also common (not related to activity of the IBD)
- enthesitis
- dactylitis
what investigations should you do for enteropathic arthritis?
- X-RAY + MRI: shows inflammation
- if IBD suspected then refer to gastroenterologist
what is the line of management for enteropathic arthritis?
- treatment of the IBD is priority and will help with the peripheral arthritis
- DMARDs (methotrexate, leflunomide, sulfasalaine, hydroxychloroquine)
- corticosteroid injections if needed
- Anti-TNF biologics (infliximab, entanercept, adalimumab)
(helps with IBD too)
(NOTE: avoid NSAIDs as will make GI symptoms worse)
what is gout?
- gout is the consequence of high lvls of hyperuricemia and uric acid crystal formation
what are some of the risk factors for gout?
- male
- alcohol
- high protein diet
- obesity
- diuretic use
- psoriasis
what are the clinical features of gout?
- severe pain
- usually affects first MTP joint (great toe), also common cause of olecranon bursitis
- red and shiny skin, joint inflammation
- uric acid renal stones
- renal disease
what investigations should be done for gout and what are the findings?
SYNOVIAL FLUID ANALYSIS: shows negatively birefringent needle-shaped monosodium urate crystals
(also perform gram stain to rule out infection)
URIC ACID lvls: raised
ESR + CRP + WCC: raised
what is the line of management for gout?
(usually self-limiting)
ACUTE:
- NSAIDs
- colchicine
CHRONIC:
- allopurinol, febuxostat (lowers lvls of uric acid)
- corticosteroid injections
- LIFESTYLE: lose weight, reduce alcohol, reduce high protein foods
what is pseudogout?
- pseudogout is also known as calcium pyrophosphate dihyrdate (CPPD) disease
- it is an arthropathy associated with the deposition of CPPD crystals
what are some risk factors / causes for pseudogout?
- less common than gout, but more common in elderly
- rare in patients <50 yrs old
- associated with OA and some metabolic diseases (hypothyroidism, hyperparathyroidism, haemocchromatosis)
what are the clinical features of pseudogout?
- acute synovitis (pseudogout): most common cause of acute monoarthritis in elderly (wrists and knees most commonly affected)
- chronic pyrophosphate arthropathy: similar to OA with a gradual onset (wrists and knees most commonly affected)
what investigations should be done for pseudogout and what are your findings?
- SYNOVIAL FLUID ANALYSIS: weakly positive birefringent rhomboid-shaped crystals
(also perform gram stain to rule out infection) - radiography: similar changes as seen in OA, chondrocalcinosis (soft tissue calcium deposition)
- calcium lvls: raised
what is the line of management for pseudogout?
- (usually self-limiting)
- ANALGESIA: paracetamol, aspirin, codeine, hydrocodone
- NSAIDs
- colchicine
- corticosteroid injections
- LIFESTYLE: lose weight, physio
how can infection of the bone be caused? (2 ways)
- infection of the bone can be caused by direct inoculation (exogenous) or blood-borne bacteria (haematogenous)
- in children, osteomyelitis usually caused by haematogenous spread of bacteria
- in adults, the source of infection is likely to be exogenous, most commonly due to infection after surgery or after a penetrating injury (eg. open fracture)
what is the most common infecting organism in osteomyelitis?
- Stapholococcus aureus
- (bone and joint infection are common among IV drug users)
what are some of the common pathogens in osteomyelitis? (newborn, children, adults, immunocompromised)
- NEWBORN: Staph. A, Strept. A and Strept B, Enterobacter
- CHILDREN: Staph. A, Haemophilus influenzae, Streptococcus, Enterobacter
- ADULTS: Staph. A, Streptococcus, Enterobacter
- IMMUNOCOMPROMISED: pseudomonas, mycobacterium tuberculosis, fungal infection
what is the line of management for osteomyelitis?
CONSERVATIVE:
- analgesia, splintage, antibiotics
- (flucloxacillin is common first-line antibiotic as acts against Staph. A)
- (antibiotics usually given IV for 6 weeks)
- (antibiotic-resistant strains such as MRSA are more common now and if suspected then vancomycin or teicoplanin should be used instead)
SURGICAL:
- if there is an abscess then drain it
- debridement if there’s dead bone
- (if infection spreads to joint then risk of septic arthritis)
what is septic arthritis?
- an infection within a synovial joint
what are the causes of septic arthritis?
- Staphylococcus aureus is most common causative pathogen
- in children: Haemophilus influenzae
- in sexually active adults: Neisseria gonorrhae
- (infection can spread from bone to joint)
what are the clinical features of septic arthritis?
- acutely hot swollen joint
- systemically unwell and fever
- severe pain, patient cannot weight bear or move joint
what investigations should be done for suspected septic arthritis?
- JOINT ASPIRATION: synovial fluid sent for urgent gram stain, culture, and examination for crystals
- ESR + CRP + WCC: raised
- X-RAY: normal initially then joint destruction later
what is the line of management for septic arthritis?
- aspiration should be done ASAP, before antibiotics are given
- analgesia and splint
- treatment is either repeated aspiration or surgical with arthroscopy / arthrotomy
what is tuberculosis caused by and how does MSK TB occur?
- Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection
- MSK TB results when primary TB (lung) becomes widespread
how does MSK TB present?
- systemically unwell: malaise, weight loss, cough, loss of appetite
- unlike osteomyelitis and septic arthritis, MSK TB presents with gradual symptoms of pain and is initially confused as OA or inflammatory arthritis
what investigations should be done for MSK TB?
- bone / synovial fluid samples: sent for culture, if mycobacterium infection suspected then Ziehl-Neelsen stain should be asked for to look for acid-fast bacilli
- Mantoux and Heaf tests: skin hypersensitivity tests
what is the line of management for MSK TB?
- drugs commonly used: rifampicin, isoniazid, ethambutol
- joint replacement if repeated TB infections
what is vasculitis?
- vasculitis is inflammation of blood vessels
- vasculitis is a feature of many illnesses and can be primary or secondary
what investigations should be done for vasculitis?
Antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibodies (ANCA): associated with vasculitis
- c-ANCA (or anti-PR3): associated with granulomatosis with polyangiitis
- p-ANCA (or anti-MPO): associated with polyarteritis nodosa, eosinophilic granulomatosis with polyangiitis, and microscopic polyangiitis
what are the two large vessel vasculitides?
- GIANT CELL (OR TEMPORAL) ARTERITIS
- TAKAYASU ARTERITIS
what are the common features seen in giant cell (or temporal) arteritis?
- often co-exists with polymyalgia rheumatica
- unilateral headache (around temples) and scalp tenderness
- jaw claudication (pain on chewing food)
- visual changes (due to optic artery ischaemia)
- polymyalgia rheumatica: symmetrical pain and stiffness in shoulders and pelvic girdle
what is the line of management for giant cell (or temporal) arteritis?
- IMMEDIATE: IV corticosteroids to reduce risk of blindness
- temporal artery biopsy
- as well as prednisolone 15-20mg a day, also prescribe bisphosphonates, calcium, and vitamin D to avoid osteoporosis
what are the clinical features for Takayasu arteritis and line of management?
- affects younger women
- claudication, visual changes, dizziness, stroke
- CT / MRI for diagnosis, steroids prescribed
what are the two medium vessel vasculitides?
- Polyarteritis Nodosa
- Kawasaki Disease
what are the main features of polyarteritis nodosa and line of management?
- typically seen secondary to hepatitis B
- SYMPTOMS: skin ulcerations and rashes (livedo reticularis), peripheral neuropathy, renal disease
- MANAGEMENT: nerve biopsies, corticosteroids prescribed
what are the main features of Kawasaki disease and what is the line of management?
- mainly affects children under 5 yrs old
- SYMPTOMS: desquamation (peeling) of skin of the hands and feet, conjunctival congestion, strawberry tongue
- MANAGEMENT: IV immunoglobulin and low dose aspirin