Specific risks of anesthesia in patients with osteoarticular disease.

Anesthesia in patients with either treated or untreated osteoarticular disorders poses a number of specific problems. The authors deal with risks resulting from mechanical deformities produced by these disorders, by the involvement of a large number of functional systems, by changes in the immune status of such patients and by alterations in the reactions of arthritic patients resulting from prior or concurrent treatments. The authors emphasise the crucial points which require evaluation and observation before and during anesthesia.