Summary
Differentials
Common
- Axial spondyloarthritis (Ankylosing spondylitis [AS])
- Psoriatic arthritis
- Reactive arthritis
- Undifferentiated spondyloarthropathy
- Calcium pyrophosphate deposition disease (CPPD)
- Gout
- Polymyalgia rheumatica
- Osteoarthritis (OA)
- Rheumatoid arthritis (RA)
- Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE)
- Septic arthritis
- Bacterial endocarditis
- Viral arthritis
Uncommon
- Enteropathic arthritis
- Remitting seronegative symmetrical synovitis with pitting edema syndrome
- Sarcoidosis
- Juvenile-onset or adult-onset idiopathic arthritis
- Overlap syndrome
- Sjogren syndrome
- Scleroderma
- Polymyositis
- Dermatomyositis
- Systemic vasculitis
- Gonococcal arthritis
- Rheumatic fever
- Lyme disease
- Whipple disease
- Tuberculous arthritis
- Paraneoplastic arthritis
- Neoplastic carcinomatosis
Contributors
Authors
Gurjit S. Kaeley, MBBS, MRCP
Professor of Medicine
Chief, Division of Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology
Medical Director, Musculoskeletal Ultrasound Program
Program Director, Rheumatology Fellowship
University of Florida College of Medicine - Jacksonville
Jacksonville
FL
Disclosures
GSK declares that he has no competing interests.
Peer reviewers
Jacob Aelion, MD
Clinical Professor of Medicine
University of Tennessee Health Science Center
Memphis
TN
Disclosures
JA is a consultant and on the speakers' roster for Abbott, Amgen, Forrest, Roche, Takeda, UCB, Wyeth. JA has received research funding from NIH and the National Psoriasis Foundation.
William Taylor, PhD, MBChB, FAFRM, FRACP
Associate Professor; Head
Rehabilitation Teaching and Research Unit
Department of Medicine
University of Otago
Wellington
New Zealand
Disclosures
WT declares that he has no competing interests.
Rod Hughes, MA, MD, FRCP
Consultant Rheumatologist
Ashford and St Peter's Hospitals NHS Trust
Chertsey
Surrey
UK
Disclosures
RH declares that he has no competing interests.
Peer reviewer acknowledgements
BMJ Best Practice topics are updated on a rolling basis in line with developments in evidence and guidance. The peer reviewers listed here have reviewed the content at least once during the history of the topic.
Disclosures
Peer reviewer affiliations and disclosures pertain to the time of the review.
References
Key articles
Combe B, Landewe R, Daien CI, et al. 2016 update of the EULAR recommendations for the management of early arthritis. Ann Rheum Dis. 2017 Jun;76(6):948-59.Full text Abstract
Sieper J, van der Heijde D, Landewé R, et al. New criteria for inflammatory back pain in patients with chronic back pain: a real patient exercise by experts from the Assessment of SpondyloArthritis International Society (ASAS). Ann Rheum Dis. 2009;68:784-8. Abstract
Expert Panel on Musculoskeletal Imaging, Subhas N, Wu F, et al. ACR appropriateness criteria® chronic extremity joint pain-suspected inflammatory arthritis, crystalline arthritis, or erosive osteoarthritis: 2022 update. J Am Coll Radiol. 2023 May;20(5s):S20-32. Abstract
Reference articles
A full list of sources referenced in this topic is available to users with access to all of BMJ Best Practice.
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