Joint Swelling
Look For
- Generalised swelling over one or both wrists. May be associated with redness, tenderness or warmth.
Causes of Joint Swelling
- Trauma - fracture, muscle sprain or rupture, compartment syndrome
- Musculoskeletal - osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, septic arthritis, gout, pseudogout, reactive arthritis, psoriatic arthritis, tenosynovitis
- Skin / soft tissue infection - cellulitis, abscess, necrotizing fasciitis, gas gangrene
- Vascular - acute ischaemia, DVT, superficial thrombophlebitis, venous insufficiency, lymphoedema
- Systemic - heart failure, cirrhosis, nephrotic syndrome, malnutrition
Dactylitis
Look For
- Inflammation of an entire digit due to synovitis of each joint, resulting in a 'sausage-like' digit.
Significance
- Dactylitis is classically pathognomonic of psoriatic arthritis.
Causes of Dactylitis
- Psoriatic arthritis
- Reactive arthritis
- Sarcoidosis
- Gout
- Tuberculosis
- Flexor tendon sheath infection
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