Characteristics of patients presenting with concomitant carpal tunnel syndrome at the initial diagnosis with rheumatoid arthritis.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the clinical characteristics of patients who presented with concomitant carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) at the initial diagnosis with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). METHODS: We analyzed patients with newly diagnosed RA at a single institution between 2012 and 2021. Patient demographic and laboratory data, the 2010 ACR/EULAR classification criteria, and the duration from the initial visit to RA diagnosis were compared between RA patients with concomitant CTS (RA with CTS group) and those without CTS (RA without CTS group). RESULTS: The study included 235 patients (157 females), of which 11 patients (4.7%) presented with CTS at the initial diagnosis with RA. In the RA with CTS group, the age was significantly higher (P = .033), all patients were female, and anti-cyclic citrullinated peptide antibody (ACPA) was negative, and the duration to RA diagnosis was longer than in the RA without CTS group. Among all RA with CTS patients, ultrasonography showed power Doppler signal-positive tenosynovitis in the carpal tunnel, which is not usually detected in idiopathic CTS. CONCLUSIONS: Patients with concomitant CTS at the initial diagnosis with RA were characterized by old age, female sex, and negative ACPA. Patients with symptoms of CTS should undergo ultrasonography for early diagnosis of RA.

A case of septic arthritis of the elbow joint in rheumatoid arthritis diagnosed by arthroscopic synovectomy.

We report a case of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) septic arthritis of the elbow detected by arthroscopic synovectomy in an 81-year-old woman with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) who was initially diagnosed with a rheumatoid arthritis flare-up. The patient was administered abatacept, an antirheumatic biological agent, as the synovial fluid culture was negative. Destruction of the joint progressed despite medication, and the patient underwent arthroscopic synovectomy. MRSA was detected in the culture of the synovium that was collected intraoperatively, and septic arthritis was diagnosed. The infection subsided with anti-MRSA antibiotics, but the patient continued to experience moderate pain and limited motion. In RA patients, it might be difficult to differentiate minor findings from infection. Arthroscopic synovectomy is one of the selectable procedures that should be actively considered when infection is suspected.