Musculoskeletal Flashcards
What is ankylosing spondylitis?
Chronic progressive seronegative inflammatory arthropathy affecting preferentially the axial skeleton and large proximal joints
Summarise the epidemiology of ankylosing spondylitis
Common
2.5:1 M:W
2nd decade of life
Explain the aetiology of ankylosing spondylitis
Unknown
Strong association with HLA-B27 gene (>90% of cases HLA-B27 positive)
Hypothesised infective triggers and antigen cross-reactivity with self-peptides
What are the risk factors for ankylosing spondylitis?
HLA-B27
Endoplasmic reticulum aminopeptidase 1 (ERAP1) and interleukin 23 receptor (IL23R) genes
FHx
What are the presenting symptoms of ankylosing spondylitis?
Lower back and sacroiliac pain: worse in morning/rest, better w activity
Disturbed sleep
Progressive loss of spinal movement
Asymmetrical peripheral arthritis
Pleuritic chest pain (costovertebral joint involvement)
Heel pain (plantar fasciitis)
Non-specific: malaise, fatigue
What are the signs of ankylosing spondylitis O/E?
Reduced range of spinal movement (esp hip rotation)
Reduced lateral spinal flexion
Schober’s test: reduced increase in space between fingers <5cm
Tenderness over sacroiliac joints
Later stages:
Thoracic kyphosis
Spinal fusion
Question mark posture
What are the signs of extra-articular disease in ankylosing spondylitis?
5 As: Anterior uveitis Apical lung fibrosis Achilles tendonitis Amyloidosis Aortic regurgitation
How can ankylosing spondylitis be investigated?
Bloods:
FBC - anaemia of chronic disease
Rheumatoid factor -ve
ESR/CRP - high
Radiographs:
Anteroposterior and lateral of spine - bamboo spine
Anteroposterior of sacroiliac joints - symmetrical blurring of joint margins
Later stages - erosions, sclerosis, sacroiliac joint fusion
CXR - apical lung fibrosis
Lung function tests:
assess mechanical ventilatory impairment due to kyphosis
What is carpal tunnel syndrome?
The symptom complex brought on by compression of the median nerve in the carpal tunnel
Explain the aetiology of carpal tunnel syndrome
Symptoms caused by median nerve compression as it runs through the carpal tunnel
Usually idiopathic
May be secondary to:
- Tenosynovitis (eg in rheumatoid arthritis)
- Infiltrative disease of canal/increased soft tissue (eg amyloidosis, acromegaly)
- Bone involvement in wrist (eg OA, fracture)
- Fluid retention states (eg pregnancy, nephrotic syndrome)
- Obesity, menopause, DM
What are the risk factors for carpal tunnel syndrome?
> 30 High BMI Female Fractured wrist/carpal bones Rheumatoid arthritis DM Dialysis Pregnancy
What are the presenting symptoms of carpal tunnel syndrome?
Tingling pain in hand and fingers
Numbness
Weakness and clumsiness of hand
Worse at night
What are the signs of carpal tunnel syndrome O/E?
Sensory impairment in median nerve distribution (thumb, finger 1, finger 2 and half of finger 3)
Weakness and wasting of thenar eminence
Tinel’s sign - tapping carpal tunnel causes symptoms
Phalen’s test - flexion of wrist for 1 min may cause symptoms
Signs of underlying cause - acromegaly, hypothyroidism
How can carpal tunnel syndrome be investigated?
- EMG - focal slowing of conduction velocity; prolongation of median distal motor latency; possible decreased amplitude of median sensory and/or motor nerves
- US/MRI wrist if SOL suspected, e.g. ganglion cyst
What is fibromyalgia?
A condition characterised by chronic widespread pain and a heightened pain response to pressure
Summarise the epidemiology of fibromyalgia
F:M = 6:1
Undiagnosed in 75% of affected people
Explain the aetiology of fibromyalgia
- Cause unknown
- Genetic + environmental factors
- Runs in families, many genes involved
- Environmental factors: psychological stress, trauma, certain infections
- Pain appears to result from processes in CNS
What are the risk factors for fibromyalgia?
FHx
Rheumatological conditions
20-60yo
Female
What are the presenting symptoms of fibromyalgia?
Chronic pain >3/12 Widespread (L+R, above+below waist + axial skeleton) Profound fatigue Unrefreshing sleep Significant fatigue and pain w/small increases in physical exertion Headaches Numbness/tingling Stiffness
What are the signs of fibromyalgia O/E?
Diffuse tenderness on examination
Sensitivity to sensory stimuli - bright lights, odours, noises
How is fibromyalgia investigated?
Clinical diagnosis:
Presence of chronic (>3 months), widespread body pain in muscles and joints, plus at least 11 of 18 tender points
ESR/CRP - normal (?inflamm) TFT - normal (?hypo) FBC - normal (?anaemia, iron deficiency) RF - normal (?RA) Anti-cyclic citrullinated protein antibody - normal (?RA) ANA - normal (?SLE) Vitamin D - normal
What is giant cell arteritis?
A granulomatous vasculitis of large and medium-sized arteries
Primarily affects branches of the external carotid artery
Summarise the epidemiology of giant cell arteritis
> 50s Incidence rises steadily after age 50 Highest between 70-80 Women 2-4x more than men Northern Europe > Southern Europe Whites > Blacks
Explain the aetiology of giant cell arteritis
Exact cause unknown
Genetic + environmental factors
Genetic polymorphisms in HLA-DRB104 and DRB101 alleles predispose
Infectious agents - Mycoplasma pneumoniae, parvovirus B19, parainfluenza virus, Chlamydia pneumoniae, VZV
What are the risk factors for giant cell arteritis?
> 50
Female
Live in N Europe/N European ancestry
Women: smoking, atherosclerosis
What are the presenting symptoms of giant cell arteritis?
Subacute onset (few weeks) Headache in temporal/occipital areas Scalp tenderness Jaw claudication Blurred vision Sudden blindness in one eye Systemic: malaise, low-grade fever, lethargy, weight loss, depression Symptoms of polymyalgia rheumatica: early morning pain and stiffness of muscles of shoulder + pelvic girdle
What are the signs of giant cell arteritis O/E?
Swelling and erythema overlying temporal artery
Scalp and temporal tenderness
Thickened non-pulsatile temporal artery
Reduced visual acuity
Stiff neck, shoulders, hips, and proximal extremities
Swelling of distal joints
How is giant cell arteritis investigated?
Bloods:
- High ESR > 50
- High CRP
- FBC - normochromic, normocytic anaemia of chronic disease - normal WCC, elevated platelets, mild leukocytosis
- LFTs: elevated transaminases, ALP
Temporal artery biopsy IMMEDIATELY:
- within 48h of starting corticosteroids
- -ve biopsy doesn’t exclude GCA
- granulomatous inflammation
- multinucleated giant cells
How is giant cell arteritis managed?
Prednisolone IMMEDIATELY to prevent vision loss
Aspirin
Osteoporosis prevention: calcium carbonate + ergocalciferol + alendronic acid
Tocilixumab/methotrexate
What are the possible complications of giant cell arteritis?
Carotid artery aneurysm
Aortic aneurysm
Thrombosis
Embolism to ophthalmic artery –> visual disturbance and loss of vision
What is the prognosis of giant cell arteritis?
Lasts around 2 years before complete remission
What is gout?
A disorder of uric acid metabolism causing recurrent bouts of acute arthritis caused by deposition of monosodium urate crystals in joints, and also soft tissues and kidneys
Summarise the epidemiology of gout
10x more common in males
V rare pre-puberty
Rare in pre-menopausal women
More common in higher social classes
What can precipitate an acute attack of gout?
Trauma Infection Alcohol - red wine Starvation Seafood Introduction/withdrawal of hypouricaemic agents
What are the risk factors for gout?
M 40-60
F 50-70
Male
Post-menopausal women
Meat, seafood alcohol
Thiazide + loop diuretics
Ciclosporin + tacrolimus (increased tubular reabsorption of urate, decreased glomerular filtration + interstitial nephropathy)
Pyarzinamide (increased urate re-abs)
Aspirin (increase urate)
HPRT/PRPP/G6PD deficiency (over produce urate)
High cell turnover state - haem malignancy, myeloproliferative disorders, psoriasis, chemo
Explain the aetiology of gout
Hyperuricaemia due to renal under-excretion of urate (90%) or over-production (10%) or both
What are the presenting symptoms of gout?
Sudden excruciating monoarticular pain Usually affects metatarsophalangeal joint of great toe (podagra) Symptoms peak at 24h Resolve over 7-10 days Attacks often recurrent Symptom-free between attacks
How is gout investigated?
Synovial fluid aspirate:
- monosodium urate crystals present- needle-shaped, -ve birefringence under polarised light microscopy
- WCC > 2 x10^9
Bloods:
FBC - raised WCC
Uric acid high > 416 micromol/L M/360 W
XR/US of joint:
Periarticular erosions
Tophi
Double contour line
AXR/KUB film
Uric acid renal stones
What is osteoarthritis?
Age-related degenerative joint disease when cartilage destruction exceeds repair, causing pain and disability
Summarise the epidemiology of osteoarthritis
Common
25% of those over 60
More common in females, caucasians and asians
Explain the aetiology of osteoarthritis
Synovial joint cartilage destruction
Eventually, loss of joint volume due to altered chondrocyte activity
Patchy chronic synovial inflammation
Fibrotic thickening of joint capsules
Primary - unknown aetiology, multifactorial
Secondary - other disease lead to altered joint architecture and stability
What are the risk factors for osteoarthritis?
> 50 Female Obesity FHx Manual occupation Knee malalignment
What are the presenting symptoms of osteoarthritis?
Joint pain and discomfort, use-related Stiffness or gelling after inactivity Difficulty with certain movements Feel unstable Restriction walking, climbing stairs and doing manual tasks No systemic features
What are the signs of osteoarthritis O/E?
Local joint tenderness Bony swellings along joint margins: Heberden's nodes: distal IPJ Bouchard's nodes - proximal IPJ Crepitus and pain during joint mvmt Joint effusion Restriction of range of joint mvmt
How is osteoarthritis investigated?
Joint XR:
- Loss of joint space (narrowing)
- Osteophytes
- Subchondral cysts
- Subchondral sclerosis
What are the secondary causes of osteoarthritis?
- developmental abnormalities, eg hip dysplasia
- trauma, eg previous fractures
- inflamm eg rheumatoid arthritis, gout, septic arthritis
- metabolic - haemochromatosis, acromegaly
What is osteomyelitis?
Infection of the bone leading to inflammation, necrosis and new bone formation
Can be acute, subacute or chronic
Summarise the epidemiology of osteomyelitis
Mostly in young children
<20% cases in adults
Explain the aetiology of osteomyelitis
Causative organisms:
Staphylococcus aureus
Group A Streptococcus
What are the risk factors for osteomyelitis?
Penetrating injuries - open fracture Surgical contamination IV drug misuse DM Immunosuppression Prosthesis SCA Peridontitis
What are the presenting symptoms of osteomyelitis?
Pain in affected area Fever Malaise Rigors Hx of preceding skin lesion, sore throat, trauma or operation
What are the signs of osteomyelitis O/E?
Localised erythema Tenderness Swelling Warmth Painful/limited mvmt of affected limb Seropurulent discharge from associated wound/ulcer
How is osteomyelitis investigated?
Bloods:
FBC - raised WCC
ESR - raised
CRP - raised
XR of affected area: Osteopenia Bone destruction Cortical breaches Periosteal reaction
What is polymyalgia rheumatica?
An inflammatory condition of unknown cause, which is characterised by severe bilateral pain and morning stiffness of the shoulder, neck and pelvic girdle
Does NOT cause weakness
Summarise the epidemiology of polymyalgia rheumatica
Relatively common
> 50s
Peak age of onset = 73
3x more common in females
Explain the aetiology of polymyalgia rheumatica
Unknown
Genetic + env factors
Associated w temporal arteritis
What are the risk factors for polymyalgia rheumatica?
> 50
Giant cell arteritis
Female
What are the usual inclusion criteria for polymyalgia rheumatica?
Non-specific Usual inclusion criteria: >50 Symptoms > 2 weeks Bilateral shoulder or pelvic girdle aching, or both Morning stiffness > 45 minutes High ESR/CRP
No weakness
Symptoms worst when walking
Difficulty getting out of bed/raising arms to brush hair
How is polymyalgia rheumatica investigated?
High ESR
High CRP
FBC
US - bursitis, joint effusions