A<unk>  is a lump of tissue, or an area of swelling, that appear on the exterior of the skin usually around the olecranon (tip of the elbow) or the interphalangeal joints (finger knuckles), but can appear in other areas. There are four different types of<unk> s: subcutaneous<unk> s, cardiac nodules, pulmonary nodules, and central nervous systems nodules. These nodules occur almost exclusively in association with<unk>  arthritis. Very rarely do<unk> s occur as<unk> sis (multiple nodules on the hands or other areas) in the absence of<unk>  arthritis.<unk> s can also appear in other areas of the body other than the skin. Less commonly they occur in the lining of the lung or other internal organs. The occurrence of nodules in the lung of miners exposed to silica dust was known as Caplan’s syndrome. Rarely, the nodules occur at diverse sites on body (e.g. upper eyelid, distal region of the soles of the feet, vulva and internally in the gallbladder, lung, heart valves, larynx, and spine).<unk> s can vary in size from 2 mm to 5 cm and are usually rather firm to the touch. Quite often they are associated with synovial pockets or bursae. About 5% of people with<unk>  arthritis have such nodules within two years of disease onset, and the cumulative prevalence is about 20 to 30%. Risk factors of developing<unk> s include as smoking and trauma to small vessels. In the majority of the time, nodules are not painful or disabling in any way. They are usually more of an unsightly nuisance. However,<unk> s can become painful when infection or ulcers occur on the skin of the nodule. Some nodules can actually disappear over time, but other times, they can grow larger making prediction of nodular size difficult to predict. Treatment also can be quite difficult, but surgical removal and injection of corticosteroids have both shown good results towards the treatment for<unk> s.
Rheumatoid nodule
Villonodular synovitis
Plasma cell granuloma
Eosinophilic granuloma
Fibrin ring granuloma
Palindromic rheumatism
Colloid nodule
Cold nodule