A man with a swollen, painful wrist, change in shoe size, and cold intolerance is most likely to have what condition?

The symptoms presented in the scenario—swollen and painful wrist, change in shoe size, and cold intolerance—are indicative of pseudogout. Pseudogout, also known as calcium pyrophosphate dihydrate (CPPD) crystal deposition disease, often presents with acute inflammation in one or more joints, commonly affecting the wrists and knees. The change in shoe size can signify changes in the extremities due to joint enlargement or deformity, which is consistent with the chronic joint issues associated with pseudogout.

Cold intolerance may not be directly articulated in pseudogout literature, but it can be connected to how arthritic conditions affect circulatory efficiency and temperature regulation in limbs. The swollen wrist aligns perfectly with the acute flare-ups caused by crystal deposition in the joint spaces, leading to inflammatory responses.

In general, other conditions might present with similar discomfort, but the combination of these particular symptoms and their progression strongly points towards pseudogout. Other options, such as chondrosarcoma or liposarcoma, are forms of cancer that typically manifest with more systemic symptoms like weight loss or local swelling in a more insidious manner over time rather than as acute episodes of arthritis. Ankylosing spondylitis is more characterized by back