Polyarticular Joint Involvement Research Articles

Similarities and differences between gouty arthritis and rheumatoid arthritis—an interesting case with a short look into the literature

Gout often presents as acute arthritis but may also present with chronic joint inflammation. For the diagnosis of an acute gout attack with its typical symptoms, the differentiation towards a bacterial joint infection is critical and mandatory. The detection of intracellular uric acid crystals in the synovial fluid of affected joints is important for the initial diagnosis of gout. In the case of a chronic course with polyarticular joint involvement, the differentiation from other inflammatory rheumatic diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis (RA) can be challenging. The case presented here is of interest because the patient initially had characteristic clinical symptoms of tophaceous gout including a typical medical history—even though rheumatoid factor and anti-citrullinated protein antibodies (anti-CCP) were positive. The course of the disease and the critical evaluation of all findings also, and most interestingly, including histological results finally suggested a main diagnosis of RA.

Association of skin lesion severity with clinical features of psoriatic arthritis

Objective: To investigate the relationship between psoriasis severity and clinical features in psoriatic arthritis (PsA). Methods: Patients were recruited from the Chinese REgistry of Psoriatic ARthritis (CREPAR) between December 2018 and June 2021, and data were collected including the baseline demographic characteristics, various clinical manifestations (including arthritis, nail disease, comorbidities), laboratory tests[including erythrocyte sedimentation rate(ESR), C-reactive protein (CRP)], health assessment questionnaire (HAQ). Body surface area (BSA) and psoriasis area and severity index (PASI) were selected for the tools of assessment of cutaneous psoriasis. Patients were divided to two groups, including the severe psoriasis group (BSA>10%) and the non-severe psoriasis group (BSA≤10%). Disease assessment included ankylosing spondylitis disease activity score (ASDAS), disease activity score 28 (DAS28) and disease activity in psoriatic arthritis (DAPSA). Results: 1 074 eligible patients with PsA were recruited, and 106 (9.9%) had severe psoriasis. Compared with non-severe psoriasis group, the severe psoriasis group had more peripheral joint involvement (including patients with ever or current peripheral arthritis, 94.3% vs. 85.6%), more polyarticular joint involvement (including patients with current peripheral arthritis, 74.0% vs. 58.2%), more axial joint involvement (51.4% vs. 39.9%), more nail disease (72.6% vs. 61.4%), more frequency of smoking (20.2% vs. 18.7%), and higher proportion of hypertension (23.4% vs. 14.4%). In addition, the severe psoriasis group had higher level of ESR [33(10, 70) mm/1h vs. 20(9, 38) mm/1h] and CRP [18.6(5.0, 60.8) mg/L vs. 7.0(2.4, 18.1) mg/L], higher values of DAS28-ESR (4.5±1.7 vs. 3.7±1.5), DAS28-CRP (4.2±1.5 vs. 3.4±1.4), ASDAS-ESR (3.5±1.4 vs. 2.6±1.2), and ASDAS-CRP(3.4±1.6 vs. 2.5±1.2), higher scores of HAQ [0.6(0.1, 1.0) vs. 0.3(0.0, 0.8)]. Conclusion: Patients with PsA with severe psoriasis bore a heavier disease burden. Therefore, clinicians were supposed to pay more attention to them. In addition to skin lesions, they should also focus on examination of other clinical manifestations, such as joints and nails.

Pharmacologic Management of Rheumatoid Arthritis

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is an autoimmune, systemic inflammatory disease whose hallmark is symmetrical, polyarticular joint involvement. There is characteristic synovial membrane inflammation and proliferation with potential joint and periarticular structure destruction resulting in pain, joint destruction, deformity, and loss of function. Systemic symptoms can occur in RA; they can sometimes antedate evident joint manifestations and include fatigue, weakness, low-grade fever, and generalized malaise. RA occurs predominantly in women, with a peak onset between the fourth and sixth decades of life. All ethnic groups can be affected, although Native American populations tend to have higher rates of prevalence while Asian populations seem to have lower rates. The prevalence of RA in the United States has been estimated at around 1% [1]. RA results in increased morbidity and mortality. The increased morbidity includes significantly increased rates of myocardial infarction, stroke, infection, and lymphoma. It has also been estimated that RA results in mortality rates up to 27% higher than in the general population [2]. Life expectancy can be significantly reduced in patients with RA, although estimates vary widely [3]. The medical and societal costs of RAin the United States have been estimated at $9 billion per year [4]. These estimates fail to account for intangible costs, such as impact on the family as daily life is modified to accommodate the needs of the person with RA. The lifetime costs for a patient with RA have been said to rival those of entities such as stroke or cardiovascular disease [5].

Systemic onset juvenile idiopathic arthritis: a single center experience.

Sağ E, Uzunoğlu B, Bal F, Sönmez HE, Demir S, Bilginer Y, Özen S. Systemic onset juvenile idiopathic arthritis: a single center experience. Turk J Pediatr 2019; 61: 852-858. Systemic juvenile idiopathic arthritis (sJIA) presents with prolonged fever and systemic features such as arthritis, rash, lymphadenopathy, hepatosplenomegaly and serositis. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the clinical and laboratory findings, and outcomes of sJIA patients from a tertiary rheumatology center. Between 2010-2017, patients who had been diagnosed with sJIA, participated in the study. The demographics, clinical and laboratory features, and outcomes, were evaluated retrospectively. Seventy-five sJIA (%56 male) patients were enrolled. The mean age at diagnosis was 6,45±4,80 years. At the time of diagnosis, the most common findings were fever (%100) followed by arthritis (78,7%), and rash (66,2%). Twenty-four percent of the patients present with macrophage activation syndrome (MAS) at the time of diagnosis. Totally, 36% of the patients had at least one MAS attack during the course of the disease. 46% of the patients had polyphasic course while 54% had one attack (26% monophasic, 28% persistant). All of the patients were treated with non-steroid anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAID) and/or corticosteroids at the beginning of the disease. Twenty percent of the patients reached remission with corticosteroid or disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARDs) however the rest of the patients needed at least one biologic agent. Anakinra was the most common first-line biologic treatment choice (n=45). Fourteen (18,7%) of the patients had polyarticular joint involvement during the disease course, and 5 of them achieved remission with tocilizumab. Systemic JIA is an important disease with high risk of morbidity and mortality. As our center is one of the most important tertiary referral rheumatology centers in the country, we had a high MAS incidence. Eighty percent of the patients achieved remission with a biological agent. Anti-IL1 drugs are mostly preferred for ongoing systemic inflammation. Anti-IL-6 agents are very efficient in patients with a polyarticular course.

Gout — does it looks like Rheumatoid Arthritis?

Characteristically in gout the feet and hands are commonly involved with a very asymmetric (random) polyarticular joint involvement. Radiographs shows varying densities due to calcium precipitation with the urate crystals. Erosions can occur in a very sporadic asymmetric distribution. Borders can be sclerotic because of the indolence of the process, creating a punched-out or “mouse bitten” appearance, overhanging edges, bony enlargement, and irregular spicules at the sites of tendon and ligament attachments can also be present. Joint spaces are preserved until late and there is no osteopenia. Some patients with advanced gout have such large deposits of urate crystals in periarticular tissues and bone, causing erosion and destruction that may resemble a lytic tumor on radiographs. Usually, soft-tissue swelling, and other signs readily establish the diagnosis. The authors report several cases of arthritic hand caused by gout to describe the typical radiographic findings. Complementary studies as well as a review of the literature are presented to report the differences between gout and AR. All the patients presented with painful, swollen, hot and tender several hand joints, usually in both hands. Some deposits of urate crystals were found but no skin ulceration. Treatment began with resting the joint and applying ice, NSAIDS, corticosteroids and colchicine. Healthy diet low in purines (from alcohol, meat, fish) was recommended. Serial clinical reevaluations and plain radiographs were done. The radiographic studies showed asymmetric and polyarticular joint involvement. Varying densities were seen on radiographs due to calcium precipitation with the urate crystals. Erosions, sclerotic borders and a “mouse bitten” appearance were, also, found. Joint spaces were preserved even with the joints partially destroyed. Despite multiple erosions, there is no osteopenia evident in the patients. These patient's hands characteristically had an asymmetric polyarticular joint involvement. Urate crystals deposits and erosions were seen, also with asymmetric distribution. The “mouse bitten” appearance, sclerotic borders and erosion was seen in the older patients. Joint spaces were well preserved in the youngers. In contrast to rheumatoid arthritis, mineralization was maintained and there was no predominant periarticular osteopenia. There are several differences between gout and AR-asymmetric polyarticular joint involvement, Urate deposits and “mouse bitten” appearance, irregular spicules at the sites of tendon and ligament attachments and no osteopenia.

Enthesitis-related arthritis.

Juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) is the most common chronic arthritis of childhood. Currently, it is characterized by seven categories. The enthesitis-related arthritis (ERA) category usually affects boys older than 6 years and presents with lower limb asymmetrical arthritis associated with enthesitis. Later, these children can develop inflammatory lumbosacral pain (IBP). These children are at risk of developing acute anterior uveitis. A recently devised disease activity index, Juvenile Spondyloarthropathy Disease Activity Index (JSpADA), has been validated in retrospective cohorts. The corner stone of treatment is NSAIDs, local corticosteroid injections, and exercise. Methotrexate and sulfasalazine can be used for peripheral arthritis while anti-tumor necrosis factor (TNF) agents are sometimes used to treat refractory enthesitis and sacroiliitis. Almost two third of patients with ERA have persistent disease and often have impairments in their quality of life. The presence of hip or ankle arthritis and a family history of spondyloarthropathy or polyarticular joint involvement at onset are associated with poorer prognosis.

Evaluation of anti-cyclic citrullinated peptide antibodies may be beneficial in RF-negative juvenile idiopathic arthritis patients

Despite the high diagnostic and prognostic performance in adult rheumatoid arthritis, the role of antibodies to cyclic citrullinated peptide (anti-CCP) in juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) is controversial. Occurrence of anti-CCP was mainly seen in rheumatoid factor (RF)-positive polyarthritis patients. In the present study, our aim was to investigate the prevalence and significance of anti-CCP for subjects with JIA in our population. We evaluated anti-CCP reactivity in the sera of 70 patients with various subtypes of JIA in a prospective cohort study. Anti-CCP titres were correlated with the evolution of joint involvement and the presence of joint damage. Nine JIA patients were seropositive for anti-CCP with respect to the cut-off value of the test. In our cohort, 34 patients had a polyarticular joint disease, most of them being RF-negative (30/34, 88 %). All four RF-positive polyarthritis patients had high anti-CCP concentrations and an aggressive erosive disease. In the RF-negative JIA patients, anti-CCP reactivity was in lower titres but significantly associated with polyarticular joint involvement (p = 0.016) and also with the presence of joint damage (p < 0.001). Presence of anti-CCP, at both low and high concentration, was significantly associated with a more severe articular disease in our JIA patients. Investigating anti-CCP should clearly be taken into consideration even among patients with JIA subtypes other than RF-positive polyarthritis.

AB1073 Prevalence of Comorbidities in Early Stages of Inflammatory Arthritis: A Comparison of Two Cohorts of Patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis and Psoriatic Arthritis

BackgroundArthritis is one of the most common chronic conditions affecting 4.6 million Canadians. It is also the most common cause of disability between the ages of 40 and 70 years....

AB1075 Seronegative arthropathies: Value of dual-energy CT for differential diagnosis

BackgroundSeronegative Oligo/Polyarthritis combines a set of diseases including gout as a possible differential diagnosis.The identification of monosodium urate crystals is the gold standard for the proof of gout. However, the...

Anti-Cyclic Citrullinated Peptide Antibodies and Joint Involvement in Behçet's Disease

PurposeWe aimed to determine the prevalence of anti-cyclic citrullinated peptide (anti-CCP) antibodies in a large group of Korean patients with Behçet's disease (BD), with and without joint involvement, and to compare these findings with the prevalences of anti-CCP antibodies in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE).Materials and MethodsWe tested 189 patients with BD, 105 with RA, and 36 with SLE for anti-CCP antibodies and IgM rheumatoid factor in serum. We reviewed the medical records of patients with BD to investigate their personal and clinical characteristics as well as their laboratory test results.ResultsAnti-CCP antibodies were detected in seven of the 189 BD patients (3.7%), at a mean titer of 30.6±44.4 U/mL, in 86 of the 105 RA patients (81.9%) with a mean titer of 198.8±205.7 U/mL, and in nine of the 36 SLE patients (25%) with a mean titer of 180.4±113.9 U/mL. One of the seven anti-CCP-positive BD patients fulfilled the diagnostic criteria for both BD and RA. Five of the seven anti-CCP-positive BD patients (71.4%) had polyarticular joint involvement, and the other two patients (28.6%) had oligoarticular involvement.ConclusionWe determined the prevalence of anti-CCP antibodies in a large group of Korean BD patients with and without joint involvement. Negative anti-CCP test in patients with BD may help to differentiate BD from RA and SLE, all of which present with similar clinical features.

Effects of Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis on Kinematics and Kinetics of the Lower Extremities Call for Consequences in Physical Activities Recommendations

Juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) patients (n = 36) with symmetrical polyarticular joint involvement of the lower extremities and healthy controls (n = 20) were compared concerning differences in kinematic, kinetic, and spatio-temporal parameters with 3D gait analysis. The aims of this study were to quantify the differences in gait between JIA patients and healthy controls and to provide data for more detailed sport activities recommendations. JIA-patients showed reduced walking speed and step length, strongly anterior tilted pelvis, reduced maximum hip extension, reduced knee extension during single support phase and reduced plantar flexion in push off. Additionally the roll-off procedure of the foot was slightly decelerated. The reduced push off motion in the ankle was confirmed by lower peaks in ankle moment and power. The gait of JIA-patients can be explained as a crouch-like gait with hyperflexion in hip and knee joints and less plantar flexion in the ankle. A preventive mobility workout would be recommendable to reduce these restrictions in the future. Advisable are sports with emphasis on extension in hip, knee, and ankle plantar flexion.

Management of psoriatic arthritis

Psoriatic arthritis (PsA) is a chronic inflammatory disease that can be progressive and may be associated with permanent joint damage and disability. Early identification of PsA will enable these patients with progressive disease to be treated early and aggressively. Due to lack of consistent diagnostic or classification criteria in the past, PsA was considered as uncommon. Overall it affects 6-10% of all psoriasis patients during the course of their disease. Both dermatologists and rheumatologists should be involved in the diagnosis and management of this disorder. Interest in PsA has greatly enhanced over the past several years due to many factors including a better understanding of disease mechanisms, improved investigational tools, better clinical trial design and perhaps most importantly, the availability of newer therapeutic agents. Mild forms of PsA can initially be treated with nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs (NSAID). In acute as well as oligo- to polyarticular joint involvement, disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARD) are indicated for PsA. The biologics particularly tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) antagonists are gaining increasing significance as second-line therapy. Treatment choice should also take into consideration the extent of skin involvement.

Low Frequency of Anticyclic Citrullinated Peptide Antibodies in Psoriatic Arthritis But Not in Cutaneous Psoriasis

Anticyclic citrullinated peptide (anti-CCP) antibodies are highly specific for the diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). The clinical distinction between RA and psoriatic arthritis (PsA) is often difficult to establish; therefore, the presence of rheumatoid factor (RF) and anti-CCP antibodies could be useful. Seven percent to 40% of patients with longstanding psoriasis will develop PsA at some point. Therefore, it is important to study the positivity of these antibodies in these two interrelated populations. The aim of this study was to determine the seropositivity of anti-CCP antibodies in patients with psoriasis and PsA and to compare it with that seen in patients with other inflammatory, noninflammatory (osteoarthritis) arthritides and healthy controls. Serum anti-CCP antibodies were measured in 106 patients with cutaneous psoriasis, 72 patients with PsA, 41 healthy controls (HC), 41 patients with undifferentiated or early inflammatory arthritis (UA), and 41 patients with RA and 41 with osteoarthritis using a commercial second-generation enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. We considered a positive result to be >20 UI/mL, as recommended by the manufacturer. Of 106 patients with PsA, 55 were women and 51 men. The mean age was 42.87 +/- 17.71 years and the mean disease duration was 5.3 +/- 2.10 years. Anti-CCP antibodies were not present in patients with psoriasis without arthritis. In contrast, 7 of 72 (9.72%) patients with PsA were positive for anti-CCP antibodies with a median titer of 7.16 units. Only one patient with PsA was positive for RF. Most of these patients were female with polyarticular joint involvement. Distal interphalangeal involvement was present in 4 and 2 had dactylitis. We found clear differences when we compared patients with PsA with patients with psoriasis (P = 0.001). Of the 43 patients with UA studies, 4 initially exhibited a low titer positive anti-CCP antibody, and at follow up, another patient developed anti-CCP antibodies and later developed RA. None of the patients with UA developed PsA at 5-year follow up. Thirty-two of the 41 patients had a positive anti-CCP antibody and the mean +/- standard deviation of the anti-CCP units was 80.61 +/- 55.5.2. Six of the 41 (14.6%) patients with osteoarthritis studied had positive anti-CCP with a mean titer of 7.388. None of the healthy controls exhibited positively for anti-CCP antibodies. Anti-CCP antibodies may be found in patients with PsA and not in our patients with only cutaneous psoriasis. These antibodies may also be found in some patients with osteoarthritis and rarely in patients with UA; such patients will be of interest to follow prospectively.

Listeria monocytogenesArthritis of Several Joints

A patient with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) developed an infection caused by Listeria monocytogenes in her left knee and both shoulder joints. The clinical presentation of the disease was rather indolent with relatively moderate joint symptoms. Moreover, the synovial fluid sample was only slightly turbid with a white blood cell count of 23.5 x 10(9)/1. As compared to the earlier reported cases of L. monocytogenes septic arthritis, our patient is unique because she had infection in several joints. The polyarticular joint involvement combined with the clinical symptoms resembling the activation of RA posed us diagnostic difficulties.

Gouty Arthritis in the Adult

Gouty arthritis, a crystal induced arthropathy, occurs as a result of monosodium urate precipitation in joint fluid, synovium, and soft tissues. The underlying abnormality is due to an imbalance in uric acid metabolism. Adult males are most commonly affected. Most of the affected females are postmenopausal, when the serum uric acid levels in women approach those in men. Characteristic radiographic findings include soft tissue tophi, punched out erosions with sclerotic margins, monoarticular or asymmetric polyarticular joint involvement, and relative preservation of joint space. Although the radiographic changes are quite characteristic, they occur only late in the course of the disease, after many years of clinical symptoms.

Five year follow-up of a prospective cohort of juvenile chronic arthritis with recent onset.

One hundred and fifty children with unsuspected juvenile chronic arthritis (JCA) and a disease duration of 3-6 months entered a prospective study. Diagnosis of JCA could be verified in 107 patients according to the WHO-EULAR criteria. After 5.0 +/- 0.9 years 66 of the 107 patients showed no disease activity, 24 of them for more than 2 years, 23 for less than 2 years without any drug therapy. Nineteen patients were still on NSAIDs and/or long acting drugs, 14 patients with unfavourable morphologic outcome (greater than stage II) and 17 patients with severe functional impairment (greater than or equal to stage III) all belonged to the 41 children with still active disease after 5 years follow-up. The disease course was polyarticular in 10 of the 14 patients with severe radiologic changes and in 14 of the 17 with unfavourable functional results. The wrist joint proved especially vulnerable since 46% of the severe radiologic changes concerned this joint. All 4 children with positive rheumatoid factor followed a polyarticular course with severe radiologic changes (stage greater than II), 3 of them together with unfavourable functional outcome. Risk factors for morphologically and functionally unfavourable course are therefore seen in a still active disease after 5 years, a polyarticular joint involvement and a positive rheumatoid factor. Extra-articular complications concerned chronic iridocyclitis in 7 patients, acute iridocyclitis in 2, amyloidosis in 1 and growth retardation in 2 children. -The prospective study is to be continued.