Differentiating rheumatoid arthritis from other diseases
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Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]; Associate Editor(s)-in-Chief: Aarti Narayan, M.B.B.S [2]
Overview
Differentiating Rheumatoid arthritis from other Diseases
- Osteoarthritis (OA):
- Signs and symptoms of osteoarthritis are usually minimal and spares the wrist joint and the metacarpophalangeal joint. It typically affects the distal inter-phalangeal joint and frequently associated with Heberden's nodes.
- Joint stiffness is usually minimal in OA and lasts less than one hour. In contrast, joint stiffness is a very prominent symptom of RA and should last more than an hour for atleast 6 weeks in order to fulfill the criteria for diagnosis defined by The American College of Rheumatology.[1]
- Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE):
- Symptoms specific to SLE like butterfly malar rash, Discoid lupus erythromatosus, photosensitivity, myositis, nephritis are not seen in RA.
- The C reactive protein levels are often normal or mildly elevated in SLE, whereas it is always elevated in RA. However, the erythrocyte sedimentation rate is found to be elevated in both.
- Septic arthritis
- Bacterial cause: Characterized by fever, chills, joint swelling and tenderness, demonstration of causative organism in the aspirated joint fluid by gram staining or microbial culture.
- Viral cause: rubella, parvovirus B19, hepatitis B virus, hepatitis C virus are the most common responsible etiologic agents. The syndrome is often self limiting, lasting for a few weeks, and rarely beyond 6 weeks. Serology can help identifying HBV, HCV, parvovirus B19. Anti-CCP antibody is more specific than Rheumatoid factor for establishing a diagnosis of RA, as Rheumatoid factor levels may be raised in HCV infection.
- Lyme Arthritis: It is characterized by intermittent, persistent or migratory pattern of arthritis, often involving large joints like knee, shoulder, ankle, elbow, wrist and temporomandibular joint in the decreasing order of incidence. Involvement of small joints of the hand is not common with Lyme disease. Diagnosis is made by serology. Other clues include residing in an endemic area, antecedent history of erythema chronicum migrans.
- Gout:
- Polymyalgia rheumatica:
- It often asymmetric, seen in those above 50 years of age, involves proximal muscles of shoulder and hip, and tends to have a milder course.
- Stiffness involves the axial muscles more often than the small joints of hand that predominates RA.
- They are typically seronegative or have only a mild elevation of Rheumatoid factor and respond dramatically to glucocorticoids.
- Paraneoplastic syndromes:
- Hypertrophic pulmonary osteoarthropathy]]: Characterized by clubbing of digits, joint pain (deep and nagging type) and periosteal reaction.
- Myelodysplastic syndrome: Patients with myelodysplastic syndrome often present with various autoimmune diseases including polyarthritis which could be confused with RA.[2]
- Other differentials:
References
- ↑ Arnett FC, Edworthy SM, Bloch DA; et al. (1988). "The American Rheumatism Association 1987 revised criteria for the classification of rheumatoid arthritis". Arthritis and Rheumatism. 31 (3): 315–24. PMID 3358796. Unknown parameter
|month=ignored (help);|access-date=requires|url=(help) - ↑ Farmakis D, Polymeropoulos E, Polonifi A; et al. (2005). "Myelodysplastic syndrome associated with multiple autoimmune disorders". Clinical Rheumatology. 24 (4): 428–30. doi:10.1007/s10067-004-1059-4. PMID 15827686. Retrieved 2012-04-27. Unknown parameter
|month=ignored (help)