GROUP D: INFLAMMATORY ARTHRITIS

Diagnosis

Patients complain of swollen and inflamed joints with no obvious trauma. There may be single or multiple joint involvements with or without system symptoms. There may be a history of flare-ups.

There are multiple causes for inflammatory knee arthritis and management will depend on the diagnosis, usually initiated by blood test investigations including CRP, ESR and FBC.

Category and Action

Category I: Conservative Options

This group is patients with single joint involvement with negative diagnostic blood tests.

Treatment options: referral to physiotherapy.

Category II: Referral for Secondary Care:

This group is for patients who have failed early physiotherapy with or without diagnostic tests.

Category III: Referral to Secondary Care:

This category is patients, who have multiple joint involvements or single joint involvements with system symptoms, for example psoriatic arthropathy, bowel disease or reactive arthritis. This group also includes patients with abnormal diagnostics.

Treatment options are then determined by rheumatology.