Pathology Flashcards
Which joints does osteoarthritis commonly affect?
Weight-bearing joints
Name some of the systemic features that can occur with rheumatoid arthritis
Subcutaneous nodules
Anaemia
Splenomegaly
Amyloidosis
Define osteoporosis
Reduction in total bone mass causing weakening of the bones
Osteoporosis can be a complication of…
Cushing’s syndrome
Steroid therapy
What is the pathology behind osteomalacia and rickets?
Inadequate mineralisation of the organic bone matrix due to a deficiency in the active metabolites of vitamin D
What can cause vitamin D deficiency?
Lack of dietary vitamin D
Lack of sunlight
Intestinal malabsorption
Renal and liver disease
Define Paget’s disease of bone
Common disease of unknown aetiology causes a localised increase in bone turnover
Which bones are most commonly affected in Paget’s?
Pelvis and spine
What will be elevated in plasma of a patient with Paget’s Disease of Bone?
Alkaline Phosphatase
What are the most prominent symptoms of osteoarthritis?
Pain and limitation of movement
What is Herpes Zoster?
Shingles
Viral infection
Almost always affects the skin of a single dermatome
Dormant version of chicken pox that gets reactivated when the host is immunosuppressed
Describe sciatica
Pain going down the leg from the lower back
Typically symptoms only on one side of the body
Weakness or numbness may occur
Typical cause = spinal disc herniation
In most people it goes away by itself
Describe spina bifida
Failure of apoptosis
There isn’t continuity of the epithelium, neural tube and mesoderm
Spinal cord may be exposed
Can cause deformity and hypoplasia of the legs
Describe hip dysplasia
Abnormal growth of the hip
Relatively common
Can be dislocated at birth or sometime later
Problem can be: acetabulum, head of femur or capsule
Describe a slipped upper femoral epiphysis
Fracture through the growth plate
Rest of femur rides up and forward in relation to epiphysis
Ages 10-16 years most affected
How would the limb appear after a posterior dislocation of the hip?
Limb looks shortened and medially rotated
What muscles cause the medial rotation of the femur after a posterior dislocation?
Gluteus medius
Gluteus minimus
Which type of muscles cause the shortened limb appearance after a posterior dislocation of the hip?
Extensors
Adductors
Are trochanteric fractures intra or extra capsular?
Extra capsular
How does the limb appear after a hip fracture?
Shortened limb
Externally rotated
Abducted