Key Concepts
Overview
Arthritis is the leading cause of disability in the United States. PNs manage patients with osteoarthritis (OA), rheumatoid arthritis (RA), and gout across inpatient, outpatient, and long-term care settings. Distinguishing OA from RA is a classic NCLEX-PN differentiating question. Both require pain management, joint protection education, and adherence monitoring. NCLEX-PN key distinction: | Feature | Osteoarthritis (OA) | Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) | |---|---|---| | Mechanism | Cartilage wear/degeneration | Autoimmune synovial inflammation | | Onset | Gradual, older adults | Any age, peak 30โ50s | | Joint pattern | Asymmetric, weight-bearing joints (hips, knees) | Symmetric, small joints (MCP, PIP) | | Morning stiffness | <30 minutes | >1 hour (classic) | | Systemic effects | None | Fatigue, fever, rheumatoid nodules, extra-articular | | Labs | Normal ESR/CRP, no RF | Elevated ESR/CRP, positive RF and anti-CCP | | X-ray | Joint space narrowing, osteophytes | Erosions, joint destruction, osteopenia | On the exam, writers often pair stable-sounding options with unstable dataโnotice the mismatch before you commit. If the stem names a license or role, reread that line; **scope...