Evaluation of seronegative arthritis

Last reviewed: 1 Apr 2025
Last updated: 14 Oct 2021

Summary

Differentials

Common

  • Ankylosing spondylitis
  • Psoriatic arthritis
  • Reactive arthritis
  • Undifferentiated spondyloarthropathy
  • Calcium pyrophosphate deposition disease (CPPD)
  • Gout
  • Polymyalgia rheumatica
  • Osteoarthritis
  • Rheumatoid arthritis (RA)
  • Systemic lupus erythematosus
  • Septic arthritis
  • Bacterial endocarditis
  • Viral arthritis
Full details

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
Full details

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.

Richard Rynes, MD

Clinical Professor of Medicine

University of Washington

Seattle

WA

Disclosures

RR declared that he had no competing interests. We have since been made aware that RR is deceased.

References

Our in-house evidence and editorial teams collaborate with international expert contributors and peer reviewers to ensure that we provide access to the most clinically relevant information possible.

Key articles

Zhang W, Doherty M, Bardin T, et al. European League Against Rheumatism recommendations for calcium pyrophosphate deposition. Part I: terminology and diagnosis. Ann Rheum Dis. 2011;70:563-570. Abstract

Dirken-Heukensfeldt KJ, Teunissen TA, van de Lisdonk H, et al. Clinical features of women with gout arthritis: a systematic review. Clin Rheumatol. 2010;29:575-582.Full text  Abstract

Klippel JH, Dieppe PA, eds. Rheumatology. 2nd ed. London, UK: Mosby International; 1998.

Suresh E. Diagnostic approach to patients with suspected vasculitis. Postgrad Med J. 2006;82:483-488.Full text  Abstract

Margaretten ME, Kohlwes J, Moore D, et al. Does this adult patient have septic arthritis? JAMA. 2007 Apr 4;297(13):1478-88. Abstract

Gladman DD. Clinical aspects of spondyloarthropathies. Am J Med Sci. 1998;316;234-238. Abstract

Mandl P, Navarro-Compán V, Terslev L, et al; European League Against Rheumatism (EULAR). EULAR recommendations for the use of imaging in the diagnosis and management of spondyloarthritis in clinical practice. Ann Rheum Dis. 2015;74:1327-1339.Full text  Abstract

Thevissen K, Vercoutere W, Bombardier C, et al. Diagnostic and prognostic value of synovial biopsy in adult undifferentiated peripheral inflammatory arthritis: a systematic review. J Rheumatol Suppl. 2011;87:45-47. Abstract

Ruddy S, Harris ED Jr., Sledge CB, eds. Kelley's textbook of rheumatology. 6th ed. Philadelphia, PA: W.B. Saunders Company; 2001.

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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