Joint Disorders - Differential Diagnosis Algorithm

Monoarthritis

 • Septic

 • Crystalline

     - Gout - Uric Acid Crystals

     - “Pseudogout” - Calcium Pyrophosphate Dihydrate Crystals

Spondyloarthropathies

 • Ankylosing spondylitis - “Bamboo Spine” Fusion of Lumbar Spine and SI Joints

 • Reactive arthritis - (Reiter’s syndrome) Aseptic, within 1 month of infection elsewhere.  “Molecular Mimicry”

 • Psoriatic arthritis - with the skin disorder psoriasis (7-30%)

 • Inflammatory Bowel Disease - Arthropathy with Crohn’s Disease, Ulcerative Colitis (2-20%) Undifferentiated

Polyarthritis

 • Osteoarthritis (OA) - Degradation of articular cartilage (inflammation is secondary)

 • Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) - Inflammation of Synovium Membrane - pannus formation, systemic autoimmune disease, Symmetric Polyarthritis

 • Systemic	Lupus - with Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE), should have other symptoms like “butterfly rash”



- Amy Chung, MD, MSc @AmyChung 



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