Musculoskeletal Disorders Flashcards
Define Septic Arthritis.
Infectious arthritis of the synovial joint usually due to haematogenous spread however can occur following puncture around or infected skin lesions.
- Osteomyelitis = bone infection
What are the risk factors for septic arthritis?
- Joint prosthesis
- Crystal arthritis
- Chronic disease
- Immunosuppression
- Rheumatoid arthritis
- Osteoarthritis
What is the most common cause of septic arthritis?
S. aureus
What are the signs and symptoms of septic arthritis?
- Single joint affected → usually hip (75% of case)
- Erythematous, warm, tender affected joint
- Reduced range of movement
- Pseudoparalysis - flexed, abducted and externally rotated
- Pain / crying
- Acute unwell / Febrile child
What are the appropriate investigations for suspected septic arthritis?
- Septic screen
- Blood cultures and FBC → ↑ WCC, CRP/ESR
- Joint aspiration and MC&S
- 1st = X-Ray - not evident until >2-3w of symptoms → children often present late so is possible
- 2nd = MRI - shows soft tissue and effusions/collections
What is the management of septic arthritis?
-
Antibiotics - IV for 2 weeks → oral for 4 weeks
- 1st line = Flucloxacillin
-
2nd line
- Penicillin-allergic = Clindamycin
- MRSA = Vancomycin
- Gram-negative = 3rd generation cephalosporin (e.g. cefotaxime)
- Washing out / Surgical drainage to dryness may be required
What is the most common cause of childhood arthritis?
Reactive arthritis
Define Reactive Arthritis.
Joint inflammation in response to an infection elsewhere in the body → can affect a multiple of joints
What are the causative organisms for reactive arthritis?
- Enteric bacteria – Salmonella, Shigella, Campylobacter, Yersinia
- Viral infections
- STIs (adolescents) – chlamydia, gonococcus
- Mycoplasma
- Borrelia burgdorferi / Lyme disease
What are the signs and symptoms of reactive arthritis?
- Transient joint swelling (<6w duration) – often ankles or knees
- Follows evidence of extra-articular infection
- Low-grade fever
What are the appropriate investigations for suspected reactive arthritis?
- Diagnosis of exclusion as no +ve findings
- Bloods → CRP normal or mildly elevated
- X- ray → normal
What is the management of reactive arthritis?
- Self-limiting
- Analgesia / NSAIDs
Define Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis.
Persistent joint swelling (>6w duration) presenting before 16yo, in the absence of infection or other defined cause.
How is juvenile idiopathic arthritis defined?
- Number of joints affected in first 6m
- Polyarthritis = >4 joints
- Oligoarthritis = ≤4 joints
- Presence of rheumatoid factor and HLA B27 tissue type
What is the most common cause of joint disease in children?
Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis
What are the signs and symptoms of juvenile idiopathic arthritis?
- Stiffness after periods of rest / Morning joint stiffness/pain
- Intermittent limp
- Limited movement
- Late signs
- Inflammation ± bone expansion → overgrowth with leg lengthening/valgus in systemic onset - Genu valgum / “Knock Knees”
- Salmon-coloured rash → pathogenomic of systemic JIA
- Fever → systemic
- Intermittent fever → RF -ve polyarthritis
- Visual impairment / Chronic anterior uveitis → persistent oligoarthritis
- Swan-neck deformity and hand problems → RF +ve polyarthritis
What are the appropriate investigations for suspected juvenile idiopathic arthritis?
Clinical diagnosis
- Bloods and imaging provide classification and prognostic information
- ANA, FBC, RhF, CRP/ESR, anti-CCP
- USS ± MRI
What is the management of juvenile idiopathic arthritis?
- Rheumatological MDT management
- OT and PT → inactivity leads to deconditioning, disability and decreased bone mass
- NSAID analgesia
-
Corticosteroids - whilst waiting for second-line agents to have an effect
- Intra-articular
- High dose to induce a remission-state → switch to low dose oral to maintain
-
DMARDs - when disease fails to respond to conventional treatments
- 1st line = oral/SC methotrexate
- 2nd line = sulfasalazine
- DMARDs require regular blood tests
- Biologics / cytokine modulators (i.e. TNF-a inhibitors)
- Interleukin receptor antagonists
- Anti-emetics
What are the complications of juvenile idiopathic arthritis?
- Chronic anterior uveitis (often insidious)
- Constitutional problems (i.e. anaemia)
- Flexion contractures of the joints
- Osteoporosis
- Growth failure
- Amyloidosis
What is the prognosis of juvenile idiopathic arthritis?
- Most children can expect good disease control and quality of life
- With poor disease control → significant morbidity from joint damage, visual impairment leading to anterior uveitis and fractures from osteoporosis
Define Developmental Dysplasia of the Hip (DDH).
Spectrum of conditions affecting proximal femur and acetabulum, ranging subluxation to frank dislocation.
- True DDH = femoral head has a persistently abnormal relationship with acetabulum → abnormal bony development, premature arthritis and significant disability
What are the risk factors for DDH?
- Female (5x)
- FHx
- Breech presentation
- First born
- Multiple pregnancy
- Oligohydramnios
- High BW / Macrosomia
What are the signs and symptoms of DDH?
- Neonatal screening - Barlow and Ortolani +ve
- Barlow manoeuvre = dislocate posteriorly out of the hip
- Ortolani manoeuvre = relocate back into acetabulum on hip abduction
- Limp or Abnormal gait
- Delayed crawling/walking / Toe-walking
- Asymmetrical skin folds
- Limb-length discrepancy - Galeazzi sign – baby on back, legs together and knees flexed – look at leg length)
What are the appropriate investigations for suspected DDH?
- <6m old = Barlow and Ortolani manoeuvre at neonatal screen ± USS (if suspicion remains)
- >6m old = X-ray
- USS regardless of presentation at 6 weeks if
- Born breech
- FHx (1st degree family member)
What is the management of DDH?
- Most unstable hips will resolve spontaneously by 3-6 weeks
- 1st line / Newborn = Pavlik harness
- Harness keeps hips flexed and abducted
- Worn constantly for several weeks
- Progress is monitored by repeat ultrasound or X-ray
- Complications:
- Avascular necrosis
- Temporary femoral nerve palsy
- 2nd line / >6 months old = Surgery