Musculoskeletal Key

Septic arthritis Septic arthritis is a rheumatological emergency. It is associated with considerable morbidity and mortality (up to 15%), so a high index of suspicion should always be maintained. Clinical…

Introduction An acutely painful, swollen or hot joint is septic arthritis until proven otherwise. Joint infection is a medical emergency and is covered in detail in Chapter 28 , Infection…

Introduction Ankylosing spondylitis is the commonest spondyloathropathy and is covered in detail in Chapter 25. Psoriatic, reactive and enteropathic arthritis are also referred to as spondyloarthropathies if they involve inflammatory…

Spondyloarthropathies is a collective term for a group of inflammatory joint diseases that may involve the spine. The classic spondyloarthropathy is ankylosing spondylitis in which pelvic and axial disease is…

Introduction Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a complex, multisystem, autoimmune condition characterised by autoantibodies directed against nuclear components. It affects approximately 1 in 4000 and is more common in women…

Introduction Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) affects 0.5-1% of most populations worldwide. The average age of onset is 55 years but it can occur at any time, even in infancy (juvenile idiopathic…

Introduction Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is the prototypical inflammatory arthropathy. The primary site of disease is the synovium, which becomes inflamed and proliferates to form pannus: a mass of T cells,…