Swelling of a joint due to an infection with a germ, usually a bacteria that reaches the joint through the blood. It mainly affects the knee, ankle and hip joints.
It manifests with pain and inflammation of the joint, which is also often red and hot on palpation. Fever may be present, but it is not an indispensable sign for diagnosis.
This condition is diagnosed through clinical questioning and physical examination. The study is completed with blood tests, joint fluid and x-rays.
The treatment is through antibiotics. It must be administered as soon as possible, and for an extended period of time, Evacuating the pus from the joint is advisable, even through surgery if necessary.
It is considered a medical emergency. If proper and early treatment is received, recovery without sequelae is very likely.
- Goldenberg DL, et al. Septic arthritis in adults (Artritis séptica en los adultos).
- Imboden JB, et al. Septic arthritis (Artritis séptica). En: Current Rheumatology Diagnosis & Treatment (Diagnóstico y tratamiento actuales en la reumatología). 3.ª ed. Nueva York, N.Y.: The McGraw-Hill Companies; 2013.
- D.L. Horowitz, E. Katzap, S. Horowitz, M.L. Barilla-LaBarca. Approach to septic arthritis. Am Fam Physician, 84 (2011), pp. 653-660.
- A.D. Muhayidina, M.S. Said. Septic arthritis in rheumatology: Review of 5 cases. J Clin Med Res., 1 (2009), pp. 173-177.
- L.R. Espinoza, I. García-Valladares. Of bugs and joints the relationship between infection and joints. Reumatol Clin, 9 (2013), pp. 229-238.
- M. Favero, F. Schiavon, L. Riato, V. Carraro, L. Punzi. Rheumatoid arthritis is the major risk factor for septic arthritis in rheumatological settings. Autoimmun Rev, 8 (2008), pp. 59-61.
- S. Shemesh, S. Heller, M. Slai, S. Velkes. Septic arthritis of the knee following intraarticular injections in elderly patients: Report of 6 patients. Isr Med Assoc J, 13 (2011), pp. 757-760.
- L. Eder, D. Zisman, M. Rozenbaum, I. Rosner. Clinical features and aetiology of septic arthritis in northern Israel. Rheumatology, 44 (2005), pp. 1559-1563.
- M.E. Margaretten, J. Kohlwes, D. Moore, S. Bent. Does this adult patient have septic arthritis?. JAMA, 297 (2007), pp. 1478-1488.
