Rheumatology/locomotor Flashcards
What body parts are affected in:
A. Limited cutaneous sclerosis
B. Diffuse cutaneous sclerosis
C. Scleroderma
A. Limited: Face + distal limbs + CREST syndrome
B.Diffuse: trunk + proximal limbs + Interstitial lung disease/ pulmonary arterial hypertension
C. Scleroderma → only the skin is affected
Antibodies associated with:
A. Limited cutaneous sclerosis
B. Diffuse cutaneous sclerosis
- Limited: anti-centromere
- Diffused: anti-scl-70
What’s CREST syndrome?
CREST → a subtype of limited cutaneous systemic sclerosis
C - calcinosis
R - Raynould’s
E - oEsophageal dysmotility
S - sclerodactyly
T - telangiectasia
Antibodies in systemic sclerosis
- ANA positive in 90%
- RF positive in 30%
- anti-scl-70 antibodies associated with diffuse cutaneous systemic sclerosis
- anti-centromere antibodies associated with limited cutaneous systemic sclerosis
X-ray changes in RA
L - loss/narrowing of joint space
O - juxta-articular osteoporosis
S - subluxation
S - soft tissue swelling
X-ray changes in OA
L - loss/narrowing of joint space
O - osteophytes
S - subchondral sclerosis
S - subchondral cysts
What problems are associated with Diffuse Cutaneous Systemic Sclerosis?
Features of CREST syndrome plus many internal organs causing:
- Cardiovascular problems, particularly hypertension and coronary artery disease
- Lung problems, particularly pulmonary hypertension and pulmonary fibrosis
- Kidney problems, particularly glomerulonephritis and scleroderma renal crisis
What’s meant by scleroderma?
Scleroderma →hardening of the skin.
Appearance of:
- shiny, tight skin without the normal folds in the skin
- most notable on the hands and face
What’s meant by sclerodactyly?
Sclerodactyly → the skin changes in the hands
- skin tightens around joints → it restricts the range of motion in the joint and reduces the function of the joints
- skin hardens and tightens further → the fat pads on the fingers are lost
- The skin can break and ulcerate
Compare OA and RA
Management of systemic sclerosis
Steroids and immunosuppressants are usually started with diffuse disease and complications such as pulmonary fibrosis
Non-medical management involves:
- Avoid smoking
- Gentle skin stretching to maintain the range of motion
- Regular emollients
- Avoiding cold triggers for Raynaud’s
- Physiotherapy to maintain healthy joints
- Occupational therapy for adaptations to daily living to cope with limitations
Medical management focuses on treating symptoms and complications:
- Nifedipine can be used to treat symptoms of Raynaud’s phenomenon
- Anti-acid medications (e.g. PPIs) and pro-motility medications (e.g. metoclopramide) for gastrointestinal symptoms
- Analgesia for joint pain
- Antibiotics for skin infections
- Antihypertensives can be used to treat hypertension (usually ACE inhibitors)
- Treatment of pulmonary artery hypertension
- Supportive management of pulmonary fibrosis
Antibodies associated with SLE
- Anti-nuclear antibodies (ANA) positive 85% of SLE cases (but not specific)
- Anti-double stranded DNA (anti-dsDNA) is specific to SLE; positive in 70% of patients with SLE
- Anti-Smith (highly specific to SLE)
- Anti-centromere antibodies (most associated with limited cutaneous systemic sclerosis)
- Anti-Ro and Anti-La (most associated with Sjogren’s syndrome)
- Anti-Scl-70 (most associated with systemic sclerosis)
- Anti-Jo-1 (most associated with dermatomyositis)
Possible complications of SLE
- Cardiovascular disease → chronic inflammation in the blood vessels → hypertension and coronary artery diseas
- Infection (part of the disease process and secondary to immunosuppressants
- Anaemia of chronic disease → affects the bone marrow causing a chronic normocytic anaemia
- leukopenia, neutropenia, thrombocytopenia
- Pericarditis
- Pleuritis
- Interstitial lung disease → caused by inflammation in the lung tissue → pulmonary fibrosis
- Lupus nephritis → inflammation in the kidney → end-stage renal failure
- Neuropsychiatric SLE → inflammation in the central nervous system (optic neuritis, transverse myelitis or psychosis
- Recurrent miscarriage
- Venous thromboembolism → due to antiphospholipid syndrome occurring secondary to SLE
Treatment of SLE
First-line treatments are:
- NSAIDs
- Steroids (prednisolone)
- Hydroxychloroquine (first line for mild SLE)
- Suncream and sun avoidance for the photosensitive the malar rash
Other commonly used immunosuppressants in resistant or more severe lupus:
- Methotrexate
- Mycophenolate mofetil
- Azathioprine
- Tacrolimus
- Leflunomide
- Ciclosporin
Biological therapies (considered for patients with severe disease or where patients have not responded to other treatments):
- Rituximab is a monoclonal antibody that targets the CD20 protein on the surface of B cells
- Belimumab is a monoclonal antibody that targets B-cell activating factor
Name (4) types of small vessel vasculitis
- Henoch-Schonlein purpura
- Eosinophilic Granulomatosis with Polyangiitis (Churg-Strauss syndrome)
- Microscopic polyangiitis
- Granulomatosis with polyangiitis (Wegener’s granulomatosis)