Emergencies in rheumatoid arthritis.

Musculoskeletal emergencies include tendon rupture, carpal tunnel syndrome, rupture of synovial cyst (" pseudothrombophlebitis " syndrome), subluxations in the cervical spine, cricoarytenoid arthritis and septic arthritis. Ocular complications can be serious emergencies, as can vasculitis and rheumatoid nodules. Drug reactions represent an additional group of urgent problems. While rheumatoid arthritis is characteristically an indolent disease, failure to recognize its urgent complications can cause significant morbidity and mortality.