ABSTRACT
A 30-year-old woman was referred from a specialist eye unit to the emergency department as the ophthalmologist who assessed her suspected that she may have septic arthritis. The referral letter stated that 1 month prior to this, the patient had become unwell with coryzal symptoms followed by a persistent sore throat, fever and feeling of general malaise. Several days later, she noticed that her right eye had become red and tender and that her vision in this eye was slightly blurred. She attended the eye unit and was treated with topical corticosteroids. Over the past week she had developed arthralgia affecting her knees and hips. Her left knee was swollen and hot to touch. She had no other past medical history and took no other medications. She worked as a florist and had not travelled abroad in recent years. The patient was to be admitted under the medical team with daily ophthalmology input.
