Typical Symptoms of Intermittent Hydrarthrosis
Intermittent hydrarthrosis is characterized by recurrent joint effusions occurring at regular intervals.
Men and women are equally affected. The episode may parallel menses in women and resolve after menopause.
The knee or another large joint develops an effusion over 12 to 24 hours with no or minimal discomfort or signs of inflammation.
Attacks last for 3 to 5 days. There are no systemic symptoms.
The recurrent episodes may occur lifelong. No treatment is proven to prevent or abort attacks, although low-dose colchicine has been used with success in some patients.
Intermittent hydrarthrosis is an unusual and peculiar condition of the joints characterized by acute, regularly recurring effusions of fluid into a joint cavity. Its striking features are periodic recurrence and tendency to affect the knee joint.
The exact regularity of recurrences is most interesting, the usual interval being ten or eleven days.
The average duration of each attack is from four to five days. In the interval between attacks the joint, in most cases, is practically normal.
According to Miller and Lewin, one or both knees have been involved in every case reported in the literature.
