Lyme Disease Anne R. Bass Steven K. Magid KEY POINTS Lyme disease is caused by the spirochete Borrelia burgdorferi. In endemic areas, B. burgdorferi is transmitted by the bite of…

Infectious Arthritis Barry D. Brause Juliet Aizer KEY POINTS Septic arthritis should be diagnosed and appropriately treated with urgency to reduce the risk of permanent loss of joint function. The…

Human Immunodeficiency Virus Edward Parrish INTRODUCTION A number of musculoskeletal complaints and inflammatory phenomena develop in individuals infected with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). These patients are exposed to a…

Pseudogout (Calcium Pyrophosphate Dihydrate Crystal Arthropathy) Theodore R. Fields KEY POINTS Crystal analysis is the gold standard for the diagnosis of pseudogout and should be sought whenever possible; chondrocalcinosis on…

Gout Theodore R. Fields KEY POINTS Making a crystal diagnosis of gout is always ideal, especially because of the possible need for lifelong therapy. Although “minor criteria” for gout exist,…

Reactive Arthritis Robert D. Inman KEY POINTS In arthritis occurring after a recent infection, the first priority is to rule out a septic process in the joint. The prognosis is…

Psoriatic Arthritis Petros Efthimiou Joseph A. Markenson KEY POINTS Psoriatic arthritis (PsA) is a chronic inflammatory arthropathy of the peripheral joints and axial skeleton, occurring in a subset of patients…

Arthritis Associated with Ulcerative Colitis and Crohn’s Disease Kyriakos A. Kirou Allan Gibofsky KEY POINTS Intestinal inflammation is closely linked to the spondyloarthropathies (SpA). Among extraintestinal manifestations of inflammatory bowel…

The Vasculitides Yusuf Yazici Michael D. Lockshin KEY POINTS The major ischemic manifestations of vasculitides are defined by the type and size of the blood vessels involved and the tissue…

Ankylosing Spondylitis Eric S. Schned KEY POINTS The diagnosis of ankylosing spondylitis (AS) should be strongly considered if four or more of the following clinical features are present: age of…