ESTER Reumatologia study guide
ESTER Reumatologia · Work through your exam, one topic at a time.
The ESTER Reumatologia page on this platform supports preparation for the EULAR-UEMS European Certificate of Rheumatology, a European credential in rheumatology listed by EULAR under its Education menu. The primary source page for this exam (eular.org/ester) returned an HTTP 404 'Page Not Found' error when retrieved on 2026-11-02, so no official specification details - question count, duration, passing score, fee, retake policy, validity period, or domain weighting - could be confirmed from that page. The ESTER Reumatologia study guide has 6 sections and about 1,867 words.
01General Rheumatology: Approach, Investigations and Red Flags
Rheumatology questions reward a disciplined approach: is the problem inflammatory or non-inflammatory , articular or extra-articular , monoarticular or polyarticular , and acute or chronic ? Establish these four axes before reaching for a diagnosis.
353 words, about 2 min02Inflammatory Joint Diseases: RA, Spondyloarthritis and Crystal Arthritis
Symmetrical small-joint (MCP, PIP, wrist) synovitis with prolonged morning stiffness and sparing of the DIP joints. Extra-articular disease matters for exams: rheumatoid nodules, interstitial lung disease, scleritis, mononeuritis multiplex, and cervical spine instability (ask about neck pain before intubation).
303 words, about 2 min03Connective Tissue Diseases and Vasculitis
Learn the pattern, not the single antibody. Systemic lupus erythematosus is a multisystem disease with mucocutaneous, articular, renal, haematological and neurological features; anti-dsDNA and anti-Smith are specific, and complement falls during active disease.
278 words, about 1 min04Metabolic Bone Disease and Osteoporosis
Osteoporosis is reduced bone strength leading to fragility fracture. Diagnose by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry T-score of −2.5 or below, or by a fragility fracture of hip or spine regardless of T-score.
298 words, about 1 min05Regional and Musculoskeletal Pain Syndromes
Most musculoskeletal pain is regional and mechanical. Key features: pain localised to a structure, reproduced by specific movement, absence of systemic features, and normal inflammatory markers.
309 words, about 2 min06Paediatric Rheumatology and Related Disciplines
Juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) is arthritis of unknown cause beginning before age 16 and lasting at least six weeks. Subtypes matter for exams: Oligoarticular: fewer than five joints, often knee or ankle; high risk of chronic uveitis, especially with positive ANA - requires regular slit-lamp screening even when the eyes look and feel normal.
326 words, about 2 min