Rheumatic Diseases Flashcards
What are some examples of rheumatic diseases?
- Rheumatoid arthritis
- Osteoarthritis
- Axial spondyloarthritis (e.g. ankylosing spondylitis)
- Gout
- Psoriatic arthritis
What are rheumatological diseases be caused by?
- Problems in the immune system
- Inflammation
- Gradual deterioration joints, muscles and bones
What are indicators of rheumatological conditions?
- More than one joint affected
- Family history of RA or other rheumatological condition
- Early morning stiffness which lasts more than 30 minutes
- Fatigue
- Swollen joints
- Joints feel better after light activity
- Uveitis, psoriasis
What is the Axial Spondyloarthritis referreal criteria?
LBP starting before the age of 45, has lasted for longer than 3 months and 4 or more of the following are present:
- LBP started before the age of 35
- Waking during the second half of the night due to symptoms
- Buttock pain
- Improvement with movement
- Improvement within 48 hours of taking NSAID’s
- A first degree relative with spondyloarthritis
- Current or past arthritis
- Current or past enthesitis
- Current or past psoriasis
Axial Spondyloarthritis (axSpA)
= a long-term inflammatory arthritis affect the spine and other joints, tendons and ligaments
What are the (8) symptoms of Axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA)?
- Low back pain (that starts before the age of 35-45 years and has lasted at least 3 months)
- Associated night pain
- Buttock pain
- Symptoms that improve when you move around
- Symptoms that improve with non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) - e.g, ibuprofen and aspirin
- A close relative with spondyloarthritis
- Associated with other type of arthritis (e.g., psoriasis)
- Pain or swelling in the joints not caused by an injury
What is Rheumatoid arthritis?
- Affects body’s immune system by attacking cells that line the joint and causes them to become inflamed
- Can limit motion and lead to damage of the joints, cartilage and nearby bone
What are the risk factors for Rheumatoid arthritis?
- Genetic
- More prevalent in people over 65 year olds (most likely develop between 30-50)
- Women are 3x more likely than men to be affected
- Smoking
- Infection or trauma
How does Rheumatoid arthritis affect patients?
- Worry about becoming progressively disabled
- Stop working sooner than expected (financial impact)
- Be less independent
- Experience changes in relationships
- Worry about having additional children if diagnosed young
- Feel isolated
- Become depressed
What fraction of Rheumatoid arthritis patients have major depression?
1/6
What is Rheumatology?
Covers wide range of conditions affecting the musculoskeletal system
What are some examples of rheumatic diseases?
- Microscopic polyangitis
- Henoch-Schonlein Purpura
- Systemic lupus erythematosus
- Familial fever syndromes
- Scleroderma
- Polymyositis
- Dermatomyositis
- Acute rheumatic fever
- Lyme disease
- Rheumatic consequences of HIV infection
- Polymyalgia rheumatica
- Giant cell arteritis
- Polyarteritis
- Takayasu arteritis
- Granulomatosis with polyangitis
- Sjogren syndrome
- Fibromyalgia
- Gout
- Pseudogout
- Osteoarthritis
- Rheumatoid Arthritis
- Ankylosing spondylitis
- Psoriatic arthritis
- Reactive arthritis
- Post-infection arthritis
- Eosinophilic granulomatosis with polyangitis
- Behcet syndrome
- Cryoglobulinaemic vasculitis
Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE)
A chronic autoimmune disease that can lead to inflammation and tissue damage in many parts of the body - skin, joints, heart, lungs, kidneys and brain
What are (11) common symptoms of Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE)?
- Arthritis – affecting two or more joints, causing stiffness and pain
- Extreme fatigue and weakness
- Malar (butterfly) rash over the cheeks – often photosensitive
- Oral/nasal ulcers
- Hair loss
- Flu-like symptoms and/or night sweats
- Inflammation of the tissues covering the internal organs (serositis) with associated chest and/or abdominal pain
- Haematological disorders including anaemia
- Kidney problems, often first seen as proteinuria
- Seizures, mental illness or other cerebral problems
- Headaches, migraine
What causes gout?
- Sedentary lifestyle and obesity
- Harmful products
- Kidneys don’t excrete uric acid (this builds u in joints and crystalises)
What treatment is there for gout?
- Anti-inflammatory drugs
- Painkillers
What are the symptoms of gout?
- Inflammation
- Redness
- Temperature
- Aching joints
- Severe pain (especially at night)
What are the (10) symptoms of Giant Cell Arteritis?
- Headaches (sudden or gradual mainly at the temples)
- Tenderness of the scalp area over the temples
- Blood vessels at the temples may look or feel prominent
- Pain in the jaw or tongue when chewing or talking
- Blurred or double vision or temporary sudden loss of vision
- Fatigue
- Depression
- Night sweats
- Fever
- Loss of appetite and/or weights loss
What is Giant Cell Arteritis?
Immune cells gather at the site of the attack and form giant cells damaging arterial walls and causing inflammation
What are the (10) symptoms of Polymyalgia Rheumatic?
- Inflammation of tissues around the joints
- Stiffness, pain, and tenderness in the neck, shoulders, pelvis, and hip muscles.
- Worse early in the morning but easing during the day
- Difficulty getting out of bed, reaching and rising
- Inflammation and swelling in other areas (i.e. tendons, hands, feet, and joints)
- Fatigue
- Depression
- Night sweats
- Fever
- Loss of appetite and/or weight loss
What is Gout (& what can it cause)?
- Urate crystals form in and around the joints and under the skin as small white pimples (tophil).
- Inflammation can cause skin to peel
- Skin is red and shiny
- Mild fever, loss of appetite, tired
- Kidney stones (occasionally)
What is Polymyalgia Rheumatica?
Autoimmune disease involving inflammation of tissues around the joints
When do acute attacks of gout develop?
The night or early morning (and reach their peak in a few hours)
What can happen if gout attacks are left untreated?
Attacks can become more frequent and prolonged
How does rheumatoid arthritis affect an assessment?
Pain
