Rheumatology I Flashcards
What are autoimmune diseases
When the immune system recognition fails or malfunctions. Antibodies and T cells produced and directed against self
What may initiate autoimmune disease
- Defect in immunological tolerance
- Presence of sequestrated antigen
- Infection e.g. viruses
- Drugs e.g. methyldopa
- Chemicals
What are the common features of autoimmune disease
- Female pre-disposition
- Positive family history
- Response to immunosuppressant treatment
- Patients often liable to develop other autoimmune diseases
- Raised ESR and CRP, serum protein levels also usually raised
- Hypergammaglobulinaemia
What are the general features of non-organ specific autoimmune disease
- Also called ‘connective tissue’ conditions
- Clinical manifestation is diverse i.e. multi-systemic
- Unified by the detection of non-specific autoantibodies in serum and various tissues
- Disease producing process are caused by hypersensitivity reactions to see components
What is rheumatology
Branch of medicine concerned with the investigation, diagnosis and management of:
- Joint disorders
- Bone diseases
- Muscles and soft tissues diseases
Gives some examples of rheumatological diseases
- Rheumatoid arthritis
- Ankylosing spondylitis
- SLE
- Sjogren’s syndrome
- Osteoporosis
- Carpal tunnel syndrome
- Paget’s disease
What is rheumatoid arthritis
Chronic multisystem autoimmune disease characterised by autoantibody (RF, an IgM) directed against IgG
Immune complex formation leading to complement activation, synovial inflammation and destructive joint disease
What joints tend to be involved with rheumatoid arthritis
- Wrists
- Index and middle metacarpophalangeal joints
- Proximal interphalangeal joints
- Metatarsophalangeal joints
- Shoulders
- Elbows
- Hips
- Knees
- Ankles
- Upper cervical spine
What are the clinical features of acute rheumatoid arthritis
- Insidious onset Systemic features: - Early morning stiffness of affected joints - Generalised afternoon fatigue - Malaise - Anorexia - Generalised weakness - Occasionally low-grade fever Joint Features: - Pain - Swelling and stiffness
What are the clinical features of chronic rheumatoid arthritis
- Joints are often held in flexion to minimise pain
- Joint capsular distension
- Flexion contractures - fixed deformities
- Ulnar deviation of the fingers
- Swan-neck deformities
- Boutonniere deformities
- Stretching of the joint capsule - joint instability
- Wrist synovitis compressing the median curve- carpal tunnel syndrome
What are the pulmonary clinical features of rheumatoid arthritis
- Pulmonary fibrosis
- Pleurisy
- Pleural effusion
What are the cardiovascular clinical features of rheumatoid arthritis
- Pericarditis
- Myocarditis
- Vasculitis
- Valvulitis
What are the cervical spine clinical features of rheumatoid arthritis
- Atlantoaxial subluxation
- Spinal cord compression
What are the lymphatic clinical features of rheumatoid arthritis
Lymphadenopathy
What are the renal clinical features of rheumatoid arthritis
Secondary amyloidosis
What are the ocular clinical features of rheumatoid arthritis
- Scleritis
- Uveitis
- Keratoconjunctivitis Wicca
What are the serological findings of rheumatoid arthritis
- RF +ve in ~70%
- Anti-CCP/ACPA +ve ~95%
What inflammatory markers are associated with rheumatoid arthritis
Elevated CRP and ESR
What would the X-ray of hands and wrists show in a patient with rheumatoid arthritis
- Soft tissue swelling
- Narrowing of joint space
- Joint erosion, subluxation and deformity
- Periarticular osteoporosis
What are the FBC findings in a patient with rheumatoid arthritis
- Normocytic anaemia
- Neutropenia
- Thrombocytosis
What are the protein electrophoresis findings with rheumatoid arthritis
Hypergamma-globulinaemia