Infectious Arthritis

Also called: Septic arthritis

MEDICAL ENCYCLOPEDIA

National Institutes of Health

The primary NIH organization for research on Infectious Arthritis is the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases

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Summary

Most kinds of arthritis cause pain and swelling in your joints. Joints are places where two bones meet, such as your elbow or knee. Infectious arthritis is an infection in the joint. The infection comes from a bacterial, viral, or fungal infection that spreads from another part of the body. Symptoms of infectious arthritis include

Intense pain in the joint
Joint redness and swelling
Chills and fever
Inability to move the area with the infected joint

One type of infectious arthritis is reactive arthritis. The reaction is to an infection somewhere else in your body. The joint is usually the knee, ankle, or toe. Sometimes, reactive arthritis is set off by an infection in the bladder, or in the urethra, which carries urine out of the body. In women, an infection in the vagina can cause the reaction. For both men and women, it can start with bacteria passed on during sex. Another form of reactive arthritis starts with eating food or handling something that has bacteria on it.

To diagnose infectious arthritis, your health care provider may do tests of your blood, urine, and joint fluid. Treatment includes medicines and sometimes surgery.

Start Here

Septic Arthritis (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)

Diagnosis and Tests

Bacteria Culture Test (National Library of Medicine)Also in Spanish
Blood Culture Test (American Association for Clinical Chemistry)
Bone X-Ray (Radiography) (American College of Radiology, Radiological Society of North America)Also in Spanish
C-Reactive Protein (CRP) Test (National Library of Medicine)Also in Spanish
Complete Blood Count (CBC) (National Library of Medicine)Also in Spanish
HLA-B27 Test (American Association for Clinical Chemistry)
MRI of the Musculoskeletal System (American College of Radiology, Radiological Society of North America)Also in Spanish
Reactive Arthritis Diagnosis (Spondylitis Association of America)
Synovial Fluid Analysis (American Association for Clinical Chemistry)

Treatments and Therapies

Joint Injection/Aspiration (American College of Rheumatology)Also in Spanish

Specifics

HCV and Rheumatic Disease (American College of Rheumatology)Also in Spanish
What Is Reactive Arthritis? (National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases)Also in Spanish