Problem: Rheumatology & Bone Disease
1. How do steroids set off a crisis in systemic sclerosis patients?
2. Poly- and dermatomyositis frequently affects facial and neck muscles. Is this different from the affected muscles of myasthenia gravis?
3. In dermatomyositis, what is the shawl sign? How frequently are Gottron's papules associated with dermatomyositis?
4. How can cranial arteritis be diagnosed in the absence of any physical symptom or feature of the disease?
5. Do pulmonary manifestations in Behçet's syndrome present with pulmonary infiltrates in the upper zone of the lung?
6. Is an elevated erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) a symptom of Behçet's disease? If so, on what basis? Can a young adult with an ischaemic stroke, a history of nearly weekly quickly healing mouth ulcers, and no other symptoms be diagnosed with Behçet's disease?
7. Mouth ulcers are too common to be a necessary part of the Behçet's disease diagnosis. Other than mouth ulcers, are there any distinguishing characteristics that would support a diagnosis?
8. Describe the procedure for diagnosing familial Mediterranean fever. Is a diagnosis of exclusion still used, or are newer diagnostic tools available?
9. Does a leucocytoclastic reaction in a tissue biopsy only occur in patients with Henoch-Schönlein purpura, or does it also occur in patients with other conditions?
10. What are the anatomical, histological and radiological differences between: i. Physis, ii. Metaphysic, iii. epiphyseal disc, iv. ephemeral line?
11. Why does the level of alkaline phosphatase in the blood increase when there are bone disorders and other conditions?