Thank you Dr. Betty Lai for a great case of gout presenting as acute monoarthritis

Learning points:

–Acute inflammatory monoarthritis should be regarded as infectious until proved otherwise
–Septic arthritis is an orthopedic emergency
–Most common causes of infectious arthritis in a healthy adult is Staphylococcus aureus, Strepotococcal species, and Neisseria gonorrhoeae
–The typical attack of acute gouty arthritis includes the following clinical features severe pain, redness, warmth, swelling, and disability, with maximal severity of the attack usually reached within 12-24 hours.
–Synovial fluid: <2,000 WBC/mm3 = noninflammatory;  ≥2,000 WBC/mm3 is considered inflammatory
–Click here for an Algorithmic Approach to the patient with monoarticular pain
–Click below for a great review article on Gout