An update on inflammatory arthropathies including pharmacologic management and preoperative considerations.

This article provides an update and overview to the clinical presentations of inflammatory arthropathies. Subtleties to clinical presentations are discussed. Clues are presented which helps the reader arrive at more precise diagnostic labeling. Additionally, pharmacotherapy will be discussed, including precautions in considering the best therapy for the patient with suspected inflammatory, autoimmune, degenerative or neuropathic pain conditions. Finally, preoperative evaluations, management and risks of this patient population are reviewed. Emphasis will be on whether "cardiac clearance" should be requested based on an easy to use algorithm of cardiac risk factors. Finally recommendations based on recent literature of whether immunosuppressants should be withheld preoperatively.