Polyarticular Arthritis Flashcards
What are 5 syndromes with widespread arthralgia that do NOT have direct evidence of joint pathology?
- fibromylagia
- hypothyroidism
- paraneoplastic syndrome
- drug reactions
- psychiatric syndromes
What are the 6 most common presentations of polyarticular arthritis?
- viral arthritis- most common parvoB19
- rheumatoid arthritis
- psoriatic arthritis
- ankylosing spondylitis
- reactive arthritis
- juvenile arthritis
What systemic autoimmune diseases present with polyarthritis?
SLE
scleroderma
polymyositis/dermatomyosis
What is the differential if the polyarthritis came on acutely (days/wks)?
- Infection - parvoB19, gonococcal, meningococcal, Lyme, rheumatic fever, endocarditis
- RA or gout
A patient presents with MCP, PIP and wrist joint involvement but the DIP and thoracolumbar spine are spared. What is the most likely cause?
RA
A patient presents with arthritis in the 1st CMC, DIP, PIP, spine, hip, and 1st MTP but NOT:
- wrist
- MCP
- elbow, shoulder
What is the likely cause?
OA
What 4 types of polyarthritis present with fever?
- infectious
- reactive arthritis
- systemic rheumatic disease
- crystal arthritis
A patient presents with skin rash and polyarticular arthritis. What 5 things should be on the differential?
- psoriatic arthritis
- sarcoidosis
- reactive arthritis
- SLE
- acute rheumatic fever
If a patient has a history of GI/GU infections, what is the likely cause of polyarthritis?
Reactive arthritis
How does initial treatment differ for monoarthritis and polyarthritis?
In mono you are really worried about septic issues so you must obtain synovial fluid before anything else.
In poly it is not necessary to get synovial fluid in ALL cases
What tests should you obtain for all patients with undiagnosed polyarthritis?
- CBC with differential
- urinalysis
- liver enzymes/serum creatinine
- ESR/CRP
What are the 4 most common viral causes of polyarthritis?
- parvovirus B19
- rubella
- hep B and C
- HIV
Describe the clinical features of RA. Acute/chronic? inflammatory/non? mono/polyarticular? symmetric/asymmetric? What are the extra-articular manifestations?
RA is a cell-mediated autoimmune synovitis (inflammation of lining of diarthrodial joints)
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It is a chronic, inflammatory, symmetric, additive polyarthritis.
Rheumatoid nodules, vasculitis, ocular, lung disease
What is the evidence for the autoimmune nature of RA?
HLA-DR1 and HLA-DR4
These bind molecules that have undergone citrullination including:
1. vimentin
2. fibrinogen
3. enolase
Which are postulated to be the self antigens.
What enviromental factors increase the risk for RA?
- smoking
- periodontal disease
(if they have the susceptible HLA genes)
How does the appearance of early RA synovitis differ from late RA synovitis?
Early:
- tissue edema
- hypertrophy of synovial lining layer
- infiltration of CD4 T cells
- formation of new blood vessels
Late:
- lymphoid follicles and plasma cells appear
- synovium hypertrophies to form pannus (covers cartilage and erodes periarticular bone
- joint effusion with 10-50000 WBC and 70% neutrophils
- collagenase/hyaluronadase degrades normal proteins/proteoglycans in synovial fluid decreasing viscosity (joint is not lubricated)
What are the most common joints involved in RA? What is the clinical presentation of the joint?
MCP, PIP, wrist, ankle, elbow, shoulder, knee, hip, C-spine, TMJ, crico-arytenoid
- Joints are tender, swollen, decreased ROM
- morning stiffness that lasts over 60 minutes and improves with hot water or movement
What are the 4 characteristics of chronic RA (specifically seen in the hands)?
- joint capsules of interphalangeal joints loosen leading to ulnar deviation of the wrist
- Boutonniere: flexed PIP, extended DIP
- Swan neck: extended PIP, flexed DIP
- erosion of bone and loosening of tendons
What are the 4 radiographic findings of RA?
- soft tissue swelling
2 periarticular osteopenia - uniform joint narrowing (opposed to OA)
- marginal erosion where joint synovium meets bone that can progress to ankylosis