A joint which becomes deformed because the patient cannot feel pain in it when the nerves have been damaged by syphilis, diabetes or leprosy [Described 1868. After Jean-Martin Charcot (1825-93), French neurologist.]
The chronic degeneration of a joint that may not cause any discomfort because of a neuropathy (loss of sensation) affecting the joint. Charcot joint is usually caused by neurological disorders, such as diabetic neuropathy, leprosy, and syphilis. It is characterized by swelling, hemorrhage, heat, instability, and atrophy of joints, such as the knee. Early diagnosis and treatment can sometimes prevent further damage. However, in severe cases, joint replacement may become necessary.
A damaged, swollen, and deformed joint, often the knee, resulting from repeated minor injuries of which the patient is unaware because the nerves that normally register pain are not functioning. The condition may occur in syphilis, diabetes mellitus, and syringomyelia.
Named after a 19th-century French physician, this condition presents as a painless swelling and disorganization of the joints resulting from damage to the pain fibres that occurs in diabetic neuropathy, leprosy, syringomyelia and syphilitic infection of the spinal cord.
A joint that has been impaired by recurrent injuries, which often pass unnoticed as a result of the loss of sensation in the affected region.