Dactylitis

Dactylitis literally means inflammation of the digit.

Dactylitis

Other names

Sausage digit

Etiology

The word dactyl comes from the Greek word "daktylos" meaning "finger".

Both fingers and toes

The term refers to both the fingers and the toes.

Dactylitis of tuberculosis

Associated conditions

Dactylitis can occur in the following conditions:

• seronegative arthropathies, including psoriatic arthritis and ankylosing spondylitis,
• sickle-cell disease as result of a vasoocclusive crisis with bone infarcts,
• tuberculosis, syphilis, and leprosy.
• In reactive arthritis, sausage fingers occur due to synovitis.
• Dactylitis may also be seen with sarcoidosis.

Dactylitis caused by osteoperiostitis due to yaws

Signs and symptoms

Signs and symptoms include stiff, painful joints with redness, heat, and swelling in the surrounding tissues. When the hands and feet are affected, swelling and redness may result in a "sausage-like" appearance of the fingers or toes (dactylitis)

Diagnosis

A combination of blood tests, X-rays, and in some cases, MRI

Treatment

Treatment depends on the underlying cause

Prevention

Prevention of the underlying cause

Caveat

The presence of dactylitis eliminates rheumatoid arthritis from the differential diagnosis.

Dactylitis Resources
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