Acute or chronic timeframe

The duration of a person’s symptoms influences the likelihood of a specific diagnosis. An acute presentation (days to weeks) is likely in people with septic arthritis or gout flare, whereas a chronic presentation, with a more insidious onset of symptoms over months, is more likely in people with an inflammatory rheumatological disease.

Figure 1. Pattern recognition in peripheral musculoskeletal presentations with an articular origin.

[NB1]

Note:

CPPD = calcium pyrophosphate deposition

NB1: This list is not exhaustive.

NB2: The likely diagnosis is influenced by risk factors for, and presence of, extra-articular features associated with, specific rheumatological conditions.

NB3: The symptoms of osteoarthritis are predominantly noninflammatory, although its pathogenesis is now recognised to have an important inflammatory component.