Approach To Joint Pain
Approach To Joint Pain
Dr Anoop R Prasad
INTRODUCTION
15% of patients in general practice presents with musculo-skeletal complaints Most common cause of long term pain and disability Joint diseases account for half of all chronic conditions in people aged 60 and over
Osteoarthritis accounts for half of all chronic conditions in persons aged over 65. 25 % of people over the age of 60 have significant pain and disability from osteoarthritis
Low back pain is the most frequent cause of limitation of activity in the young and middle aged, one of commonest reasons for medical consultation, and the most frequent occupational injury. Back pain is the second leading cause of sick leave.
Best Practice & Research Clinical Rheumatology Vol. 22, No. 4, pp. 583604, 2008
NORMAL JOINT
Is it Arthritis or Arthralgia? Presence of swelling of joint (synovial fluid , bony) Local warmth Tenderness along the joint line Redness (e.g. septic arthritis. acute gout .etc.) Range of motion (often reduced) Any deformity ( Rubor, Calor, Dolor, Tumor, Functio laesa )
INFLAMMATORY
Rubor, calor, dolor, tumor, Functio laesa Decreases with activity, increase with rest EMS > 1 hour Systemic symptoms like fever, weight loss, LOA ESR, CRP
NONINFLAMMATORY
No classical signs
Increases with activity, decrease with rest EMS < 1 hour No systemic symptoms
ARTHRALGIA
Fibromyalgia Bursitis Tendinitis Hypothyroidism Neuropathic pain Metabolic bone disease Depression Drugs
ARTHRITIS
MONOARTHRITIS: Trauma Infection:
DGI Skin lesion. Nongonococcal bacterial infections: large joints. Mycobacterial and fungal infection.
Osteoarthritis
POLYARTHRITIS: Rheumatoid Arthritis Systemic lupus Erythrematosus Viral arthritis Reiters disease (Reactive arthritis) Psoriatic arthritis
HISTORY
Duration of complaints (acute<6wk versus chronic>6wk). Number of Joints involved (mono, oligo or polyarthritis). Distribution of joints involved (peripheral, axial, sparing some joints) Pattern of involvement (recurrent, additive, migratory etc.) History of joint swelling Duration of early morning stiffness (prolonged in Inflammatory arthritis)
Extra-articular complaints (e.g. fever, rash, alopecia, oral ulcers, photosensitivity etc.) Associated medical illness (e.g. psoriasis. hypothyroidism, tuberculosis, IBD) Significant past history (similar episode of arthritis. drug allergy. peptic ulcer) Family history of rheumatic disease (e.g. gout. spondarthritis)
Acute mono articular : Septic arthritis orthopedic and medical emergency Crystal induced gout , pseudogout Hemarthrosis - as in Hemophilia Chronic mono articular : Osteoarthritis Monoarticular presentation of RA or psoriatic arthritis
Acute polyarticular: Reactive arthritis Viral arthritis Post viral arthritis Drug-induced arthritis Poncet's arthritis Sarcoidosis
Chronic polyarticular: Rheumatoid arthritis Spondarthritis {AS, Reiter's, lBD-associated, uSpA Juvenile spondylitis. Ps A) Psoriatic arthritis Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis
Distribution: Symmetrical- upper and lower limb eg. RA, SLE Asymmetric - psoriatic, gout, spondyloarthritidis Fist metatarsal gout Hand joints with sparing of DIP RA Axial joints OA, AS, Spondyloarthritis, RA ( only cervical spine) DIP : OA, Ps A
Pattern: Fleeting / migratory : Rheumatic fever Gonococcemia Meningococcemia Viral Arthritis Acute Leukemia Additive: SLE RA
Age
<30= SLE, Ankylosing spondylitis, Reactive Arthritis. 30-50= RA, Systemic sclerosis, Gout.
EXAMINATION
JOINT: Swelling, warmth, effusion inflammatory Deformity Synovial thickening Active and passive movements both restrictedarthritis, passive normal & active restricted- enthesitis Number of joints involved
INVESTIGATIONS
CBC thrombocytosis, leukocytosis in inflammatory Acute phase reactants ESR, CRP Urine analysis pus cells in reactive arthritis, active sediments( 2-5 rbc, rbc cast, wbc cast) in SLE, vasculitis Viral serologies HBsAg, HCV, EBV, Chikungunya,Parvo Serologies RF -
primary biliary cirrhosis, any chronic viral infection, Bacterial endocarditis, leukemia, dermatomyositis, infectious mononucleosis, systemic sclerosis, systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE)(20-30%)
Anti ccp (cyclic citrullinated peptide): Sensitivity 80% Specificity 85- 98% ANA - Systemic lupus erythematosus (lupus or SLE) over 95% Progressive systemic sclerosis (scleroderma) - 6090% Rheumatoid Arthritis - 25-30% Sjogrens syndrome - 40-70% Felty's syndrome - 100% Juvenile arthritis - 15-30% Anti dsDNA -- SLE
Serum uric acid - >7mg/dl to be significant 0.1% develop gout if <7, 0.5% if 7-8.9, 5% if >9 Synovial fluid analysis: Monoarthritis Suspicion of infection Suspicion of crystal-induced arthritis Suspicion of hemarthrosis Differentiating inflammatory from noninflammatory arthritis
RADIOLOGY
12 OCTOBER- WORLD ARTHRITIS DAY 16 OCTOBER - WORLD SPINE DAY 17 OCTOBER- WORLD TRAUMA DAY 20 OCTOBER - WORLD OSTEOPOROSIS DAY