ABSTRACT
This chapter details what is required in terms of competencies, skills and knowledge from junior physicians in core medical training in musculoskeletal disorders/rheumatology. Cryoglobulins are immunoglobulins which undergo reversible precipitation at 4°C, dissolve when warmed to 37°, One-third of cases are idiopathic. Psoriatic arthropathy correlates poorly with cutaneous psoriasis and often precedes the development of skin lesions. Around 10% of patients with skin lesions develop an arthropathy, with males and females being equally affected. Reactive arthritis is one of the HLA-B27 associated seronegative spondyloarthropathies. Behcet's syndrome is a complex multisystem disorder associated with presumed autoimmune mediated inflammation of the arteries and veins. Polyarteritis nodosa (PAN) is a vasculitis affecting medium-sized arteries with necrotising inflammation leading to aneurysm formation. PAN is more common in middle-aged men and is associated with hepatitis B infection. Wegener's granulomatosis is an autoimmune condition associated with a necrotising granulomatous vasculitis, affecting both the upper and lower respiratory tract as well as the kidneys.
