What are the differential diagnoses for joint pain?

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Differential Diagnoses for Joint Pain

Inflammatory Arthropathies

  • Rheumatoid arthritis 1
  • Psoriatic arthritis 1
  • Axial spondyloarthritis 1
  • Reactive arthritis 1
  • Ankylosing spondylitis 1
  • Peripheral arthropathy (Type I and Type II) 1

Crystal Arthropathies

  • Gout 1
  • Pseudogout (CPPD) 1
  • Chronic tophaceous gout 1

Infectious Causes

  • Septic arthritis 1, 2
  • Infectious osteomyelitis 1
  • Viral arthritis 1

Degenerative Conditions

  • Osteoarthritis 1

Connective Tissue Diseases

  • Systemic lupus erythematosus 1, 3
  • Dermatomyositis 2
  • Jaccoud's arthropathy 3

Inflammatory Myopathies and Soft Tissue Disorders

  • Polymyalgia rheumatica 1
  • Myositis 1
  • Fibromyalgia 1
  • Rotator cuff tendinitis 1
  • Tietze's syndrome 1

Bone Disorders

  • Chronic non-bacterial osteitis (CNO) 1
  • Paget's disease 1
  • Malignant bone tumor 1
  • Osteomalacia 1
  • Hypophosphatasia 1
  • Fibrous dysplasia 1
  • Bone bruise 1
  • Osteonecrosis 1

Metabolic and Endocrine

  • Haemochromatosis 1
  • Ascorbic acid deficiency 1

Immune Checkpoint Inhibitor-Related

  • ICPi-induced arthritis 1
  • ICPi-induced polymyalgia-like syndrome 1

Rare Causes

  • Sarcoidosis (osseous manifestations) 1
  • Langerhans cell histiocytosis 1
  • Erdheim-Chester disease 1
  • Serum sickness 1
  • Anterior sternoclavicular subluxation 1

Drug-Induced

  • Statin-induced myopathy 1
  • Infliximab-related lupus-like syndrome 1

References

1
Guideline

Guideline Directed Topic Overview

Dr.Oracle Medical Advisory Board & Editors, 2025

2
Guideline

Joint Pains with Polyarticular Involvement: Differentiating Features

Praxis Medical Insights: Practical Summaries of Clinical Guidelines, 2025

3
Guideline

Jaccoud's Arthritis: Clinical Features and Associations

Praxis Medical Insights: Practical Summaries of Clinical Guidelines, 2025

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Professional Medical Disclaimer

This information is intended for healthcare professionals. Any medical decision-making should rely on clinical judgment and independently verified information. The content provided herein does not replace professional discretion and should be considered supplementary to established clinical guidelines. Healthcare providers should verify all information against primary literature and current practice standards before application in patient care. Dr.Oracle assumes no liability for clinical decisions based on this content.

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