Arthritis, Infectious, Granulomatous
Basics
Basics
Basics
Description
Description
Description
- Invasion of joints by microorganisms; often as part of a systemic infection/disease
- Curable type of arthritis
- System(s) affected: musculoskeletal
- Synonym(s): fungal arthritis; mycobacterial arthritis; subacute bacterial arthritis
Epidemiology
Epidemiology
Epidemiology
- 1–3% of patients with tuberculosis (TB) infections (1)
- 10–30% of extrapulmonary TB presents with musculoskeletal involvement.
- Predominant age: all ages
- Predominant gender
- Male > female (Brucella and Mycobacterium)
- Female > male (fungal)
Prevalence
1 in 3 million in the general population
Pediatric Considerations
Infrequent in pediatric population
Etiology and Pathophysiology
Etiology and Pathophysiology
Etiology and Pathophysiology
- Hematogenous invasion is most common.
- Contiguous spread
- Direct penetration via trauma
- Fungal infections may disseminate from primary pulmonary involvement, particularly in immunocompromised hosts.
- Direct contact with or consumption of infected animal products
Risk Factors
Risk Factors
Risk Factors
- HIV/AIDS
- Concurrent extra-articular infection
- Chronic inflammatory arthritis (e.g., rheumatoid arthritis [RA])
- Trauma, especially penetrating
- Prosthetic joint(s)
- Prior antibiotic, corticosteroid, or immunosuppressive therapy
- Serious chronic systemic illness (e.g., diabetes mellitus, liver disease, malignancy, primary immunodeficiency)
- Defective phagocytosis (e.g., chronic granulomatous disease)
- Injection drug use
- Exposure to specific infectious agents (e.g., brucellosis, unpasteurized milk, farmers, butchers, veterinarians)
- Gardening (sporotrichosis)
- Aquatic exposure (e.g., fish hook puncture and Mycobacterium marinum)
Commonly Associated Conditions
Commonly Associated Conditions
Commonly Associated Conditions
- Systemic infection
- Immunodeficiency/immunosuppression (e.g., from HIV/AIDS, lymphoma, transplantation, medications)
- Poncet disease (reactive arthritis associated with TB)
There's more to see -- the rest of this topic is available only to subscribers.
© 2000–2025 Unbound Medicine, Inc. All rights reserved