Differential diagnosis of gouty arthritis includes septic arthritis, traumatic arthritis, osteoarthritis, pseudogouty arthritis and so on.
1. septic arthritis: mainly caused by bacterial infection, most common in children, preferred in hip and knee joints, the diseased joints will be swollen and painful and activity limitation, often accompanied by high fever, through the joint cavity puncture to see pus and blood effusion or secretion culture to find the corresponding causative organisms can help in the diagnosis and differential diagnosis.
2. Osteoarthritis: caused by degenerative changes in old age, it occurs in the weight-bearing joints such as knee joint, hip joint, spine, etc. It is mainly characterized by joint degeneration and osteophytes, and the patients’ blood sedimentation and C-reactive protein are often not obviously elevated, and the level of blood uric acid is normal, which is different from that of gouty arthritis.
3. Reactive arthritis: often secondary to infections in other parts of the body, causing joint pain and swelling, the most common site is the intestinal tract and genitourinary tract, according to the patient’s history of antecedent infections or the corresponding symptoms, the blood uric acid level is normal, can be differentiated from gouty arthritis.
4. Pseudogout: also known as pyrophosphate arthropathy, caused by intra-articular pyrophosphate deposition, the etiology of which is mainly aging, heredity and metabolic abnormalities. Through the joint cavity fluid examination contains calcium pyrophosphate salt crystals or phosphorus gray and white, and blood uric acid level is not high.
Gouty arthritis differential diagnosis of more diseases, patients should be timely consultation, early treatment, so as not to delay the condition, affecting the prognosis.