Rheumatology - Monoarthropathy - OA, Septic arthritis, Gout Flashcards
List diseases that cause monoarticular symptoms
Septic arthritis: Bacterial, Mycobacterial, Lyme disease…etc
Crystal deposition diseases:
- Gout
- Pseudogout
- Hydroxyapatite
- Calcium oxalate
Trauma:
- Fracture
- ACL/ PCL tear
- Hemarthrosis
Others:
- OA
- Juvenile idiopathic arthritis
- Coagulopathy
- Avascular necrosis of bone
List polyarticular diseases that sometimes present with monoarticular onset
RA
JIA
Viral arthritis
Spondyloarthritis (SpA)
- Reactive arthritis
- Psoriatic arthritis
- IBD associated arthritis
Ddx the most likely cause of monoarticular pain over minutes, hours/days, weeks
Pain in Seconds/ minutes: Fracture, Hemarthrosis
Hours to days: Septic arthritis, Crystal deposition disease
Weeks: Inflammatory arthritis/ SpA, Indolent infection (TB), Osteoarthritis
Ddx most likely causes of articular pain with recurrent acute attacks
Crystal arthritis: e.g. gout, pseudogout, hydroxyapatite, calcium oxalate
Inflammatory arthritis syndromes
Ddx most likely causes of articular pain with immunosuppression
Septic arthritis
Osteonecrosis
First-line investigations for mono-articular pain
Synovial fluid aspiration and analysis:
- Gross appearance
- Microscopy
- Microbiology
Blood:
- CBC with diff.
- ESR
- Serum uric acid level
- Prothrombin and Partial thromboplastin time
- ANA, ACPA, autoimmune markers
Microbiology: Blood, urine, other sample culture
Others: Arthroscopy, X-ray of joint and contralateral side, Synovial biopsy, Other imaging
Indications of synovial fluid aspiration and analysis
Clinical suspicion of:
- Infection
- Crystal deposition disease
- Hemarthrosis
- Differentiate inflammatory and non-inflammatory arthritis
List all tests done on synovial fluid analysis
Gross appearance
- Color
- Turbidity
- Viscosity
Microscopy
- Wet films
- Cell stains and differential counts
- Polarized light
Microbiology
- Gram stain
- Culture
- Special stains: ZN stains, Fungal stains
Interpret the following profile of synovial fluid
High viscosity
Straw- yellow color
Transparent
WBC: 200-2000
PMN: <25%
Non-inflammatory arthritis/ Normal/ OA
Interpret the following profile of synovial fluid
Viscosity Low
Yellow color
Translucent
WBC: 2000-75000
PMN: >50%
Inflammatory arthritis e.g. RA, crystal deposition diseases
Interpret the following profile of synovial fluid
Variable viscosity, sometimes low, sometimes high
Variable color
Opaque
WBC >100,000
PMN: >75%
Septic arthritis
Interpret following synovial fluid analysis
Low viscosity
Red color
Slightly turbid
WBC: <200
PMN: <25%
Haemarthrosis
Describe the function of polarized light microscopy on synovial fluid
Birefringent crystal in fluid alters vector of plane polarized light
Birefringence detected by color shift to blue (Positive) or yellow (Negative) when long axis of crystal is aligned with optical axis of the first order red compensator
Blue when parallel to optical axis of red compensator = Calcium pyrophosphate
Yellow (negative) when parallel to optical axis = Monosodium urate
Arthroscopy
Functions
Indication
Functions
- Diagnostic: directly visualize articular surface, assess cartilage damage, take synovial biopsy
- Therapeutic: Debridement of damaged cartilage, remove loose bodies, pain relief
Indications:
- Pain relief
- Inflammatory arthritis needing synovial biopsy
- Remove fractured cartilage/ loose bodies
Septic arthritis
- Typical onset
- Distribution
- Routes of infection
Abrupt onset of monoarticular pain
Typically at large weight bearing joints e.g. hip, knee
Routes of infection:
- Hematogenous
- From adjacent Osteomyelitis
- Adjacent soft tissue infection
- Diagnostic/ therapeutic procedure contamination
- Penetrating injury by puncture or cut
Risk factors of septic arthritis
Age under 5 or over 65
Medical:
- Chronic arthritic diseases e.g. RA, OA, Crystal deposition diseases…etc
- Chronic skin infections
- Chronic systemic diseases: SLE< DM, Malignancy, Immunocompromised…etc
Iatrogenic:
- Prosthetic joints
- Intra-articular injections or arthrocentesis
Social:
- Parenteral/ IV drug use
- STDs
Common causative bacteria for septic arthritis in:
Infant (<1 month)
Children <2 years old
Infants:
- Streptococcal agalactiae
- Gram negative bacilli e.g. E. coli
- Staph. aureus
Children:
- Hemophilus influenzae type B
Common causative bacteria of septic arthritis in:
Older children, adults, elderly, chronically ill
Staphylococcus auerus
Gram negative bacilli (chronically ill, elderly)
Neisseria gonorrhoeae (disseminated), Chlamydia trachomatis (reactive) (sexually active)
Common causative bacteria of septic arthritis in:
Prosthetic infection
Skin infection
IV drug users
Gas forming infection
Prosthetic: Staphylococcal aureus
Skin/ soft tissue infection: Streptococcal infection
IV DU: Gram negative bacilli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Staphylococcal aureus
Gas forming/ foul smelling; Anaerobes e.g. Clostridium difficile, Clostridium perfringens