Enthesopathy: clinical recognition and significance.
Enthesopathy is a common clinical finding denoting pathology at the 'entheses', i.e. attachment sites of muscles, tendons, joint capsules, ligaments and fascia to the bone. Inflammatory enthesopathy or enthesitis is a sine qua non of seronegative spondyloarthropathies (SSA). It can also be occupational, metabolic, drug induced, infective or degenerative. Bursitis closely mimics enthesitis. Ultrasound with high frequency transducers is a simple, cost-effective and feasible test to detect enthesopathy which is amenable to treatment with local steroid injections, physiotherapy and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, in addition to treatment of the primary disease. Unrecognized and untreated, it can lead to considerable morbidity.
Danda
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Department of Medicine, Christian Medical College and Hospital, Vellore 632004, Tamil Nadu, India. ddanda@mail.rah.sa.gov.au
Shyam Kumar
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NK
Cherian
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Cherian
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AM
D000894:Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal / Q000627:therapeutic use; D003362:Cost-Benefit Analysis; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D006801:Humans; D012216:Rheumatic Diseases / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000188:drug therapy; D014463:Ultrasonography
D000894:Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal