Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
Pivot Concepts:   Target Concepts:
Query: UMLS:C0003873 (rheumatoid arthritis)
 53,068 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

PIP joints, MCP joints and wrists of 80 patients with rheumatoid arthritis were operated on with late synovectomy. The rate of recurrence of local synovitis was about 5%, which contrasted favourably with a considerably higher rate of progression of bony erosions. The loss of range of movement was small to moderate. Pain was alleviated in most cases. The possibility of forecasting the results by preoperative parameters was limited. It was concluded that the main indication for late synovectomy of the hand was alleviation of pain. The prophylactic effect on joint destruction seemed to be both slight and unpredictable.
 ...
PMID:Late synovectomy of the hand in rheumatoid arthritis. 98 95

We have proposed an alternate assignment criterion for rheumatoid arthritis (RA), pain on squeezing the MCP or MTP joints. The performance of this criterion has been evaluated in 90 patients with RA and in 122 patients with other rheumatological disorders (non-RA). The proportions of patients with various numbers of sites positive (from 0 to 4) were assessed according to diagnosis; most patients with RA had at least one site positive, in comparison to non-RA where most patients had no sites positive. The diagnostic performance of 2+ or 3+ sites was similar, but 3+ is probably preferable because this simultaneously indicated both symmetry and hand and foot involvement. In conclusion, the lateral MCP/MTP squeeze performs well in comparison to many other existing clinical criteria for RA and could substitute for non-independent features (e.g. swelling and arthritis). It is easier to elicit than searching for pain and/or tenderness as fewer sites have to be examined and inter-observer variation was less than with many other clinical criteria.
 ...
PMID:The lateral metacarpophalangeal/metatarsophalangeal squeeze: an alternative assignment criterion for rheumatoid arthritis. 203 Nov 55

In connection with self-administration of medicine for patients with rheumatoid arthritis, patients with weak hands and elderly patients in general, the design of many medicine containers makes them awkward to handle for the patients. In this investigation 12 different medicine containers were tested. The 12 containers represent the antirheumatic medicine containers available on the market in Denmark in 1988. Sixty patients participated in the investigation. Thirty had rheumatoid arthritis and 30 had normal hand function. The age range was 40-85 years The patients had the choice between five possible answers concerning each container. In all patients, grip strength was measured. The patients with rheumatoid arthritis were classified in four functional classes, and pulpa-vola distance end thumb--5th MCP point distance were measured. The opening mechanisms of 29% of the antirheumatic medicine containers are unacceptable; these are plastic containers with a "push-off" top and suppository packs. 46%--(containers with screw cap or pressure dispensing) are considered acceptable. For 25% (tablet and capsule blister packs) the patients' estimate varied. It is important that medicine containers can be opened by the patients without difficulty, so that they do not present a hindrance to a correct intake of medicine or result in an unnecessary admission to hospital. The results of this investigation show that it is of continuous importance to encourage the production of medicine containers that comply with the requirements of the patients.
 ...
PMID:[Opening medicine containers]. 214 51

A comparative evaluation of existing assignment criteria for rheumatoid arthritis has been undertaken as a preliminary to exploring how simpler and more efficient standards could be developed. The performances of alternative formulations of individual criteria have been evaluated, and the various criteria have been assessed singly and in combination. The two individual criteria giving rise to the greatest difficulty are morning stiffness and pain and/or tenderness, with its optional formulation. An alternative criterion, pain in at least three sites on squeezing the MCP or MTP joints, performed well. Taken in combination, better epidemiological discrimination was achieved with the threshold for the 1958 ARA criteria midway between 'definite' and 'classical' disease, with six criteria fulfilled. Most of the discriminatory power of these criteria stemmed from inclusion of radiographic and serological characteristics, which is scarcely surprising. The Rome criteria for Inactive RA and the New York criteria for RA, which were derived from them, achieved better discrimination, which suggests ways in which improvements in assignment criteria might be approached. The 1987 revision of the ARA criteria achieves disappointingly little, as important difficulties have not been resolved.
 ...
PMID:A review of assignment criteria for rheumatoid arthritis. 240 39

It would appear to us that the patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), in whom articular bone lesions were confined to the wrist and/or carpal joints in X-ray films, may follow a milder disease activity than do the patients with the hand and finger joint lesions. To clarify it, the present study was performed retrospectively. RA patients showing stage II or more lesions in the wrists and/or carpal joints but no lesions over stage II in any hand and finger joint (MCP, IP and PIP) radiologically after 5 years or more duration were regarded as the carpal type (C type). The clinical and laboratory data were compared between 44 patients of the C type RA and 44 patients of other type RA, matched in the sex, age and disease duration. Significant differences were observed in the following parameters between the 2 groups; the functional class, Lansbury's activity index, number of the affected joints, ESR, CRP and hemoglobin values, and ADL scores. That is, Hb values and ADL scores were higher, but the others were lower, in the C type RA group than in other type RA group. The positive percentage and titer of rheumatoid factor were not significantly different between the 2 groups. It was concluded that C type RA patients are milder in the activity and fewer in the number of affected joints than other type RA patients. Furthermore it was suggested that C type RA patients may have milder clinical course and better prognosis than other type RA patients.
 ...
PMID:[Evaluation of disease activity by hand X-ray findings in rheumatoid arthritis]. 277 54

The prevalence of back and joint complaints and of rheumatoid arthritis (RA), chondrocalcinosis (CC) and osteoarthritis (OA) was studied in three representative population subsamples aged 70, 75 and 79 years. The prevalence of back pain was 38% and of joint complaints 40%, both significantly higher in females. The prevalence of RA was not significantly different between the age groups. Chondrocalcinosis increased with age in females. Radiographic and clinical OA of knees was less prevalent with increasing age. Symptoms of wrist and finger OA occurred in 1-4% of females but not males. Enlargement of DIP joints occurred in 50% of females and 25% males. Radiographic OA of first MCP joints was more prevalent with age in males but not females. Obesity correlated with radiographic OA of knees in females. Clinical and radiographic OA of fingers and knees did not correlate with previous strenuous occupations.
 ...
PMID:Joint disorders at ages 70, 75 and 79 years--a cross-sectional comparison. 294 52

The radiographic diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis can be suggested long before bone and joint destruction. Soft tissue swelling at the ulnar styloid is classical, but soft tissue swelling also occurs at the PIP and MCP joints. Joint space widening, loss of the lateral fat planes of the wrist, and radial carpal narrowing can all be seen prior to bony change. The earliest bony change is loss of the cortical white line on the radial aspect of the fourth and fifth metacarpal heads.
 ...
PMID:Early changes of rheumatoid arthritis in the hand and wrist. 305 Oct 92

Forty-one of 858 patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) developed clinical deformity of their hands. This deformity was clinically and radiologically different from that found in 40 patients with classical or definite rheumatoid arthritis (RA), and tended to appear early in the course of disease. Characteristics of this arthropathy included nonerosive carpal collapse; exceptional erosion of the styloid processes; Z deformity of the thumb; nonerosive ulnar deviation and subluxation of MCP joints; parametacarpophalangeal joint hook formation; scant and asymmetric joint erosions; and swan neck deformity of the fingers. Most of these changes seemed to be due to involvement of the ligaments rather than to the destructive effect of synovitis. Patients with SLE with deforming arthropathy had a higher frequency of rheumatoid factor positivity, sicca symptoms and antibodies to native DNA, whereas they had lower incidence of facial rash and photosensitivity than did those without. Other manifestations did not differ. We propose that most patients with SLE with deforming arthropathy belong to a subset of SLE rather than representing the coexistence of SLE and RA.
 ...
PMID:Deforming arthropathy of the hands in systemic lupus erythematosus. 325 86

Quantitative scintigraphy of the wrist, MCP, and knee joints in patients with RA was performed using Tc-99m-MDP and Ga-67 citrate. Radiopharmaceutical uptake in affected joints was compared with uptake at 2 control reference sites (juxta-articular bone and soft tissue). Following a 6-week course of therapy with Sulindac, the patients' overall assessment of disease was improved, but the results of joint/bone and joint/soft tissue ratios were variable. Improvement using Tc-99m-MDP during the first 2 weeks of NSAID therapy was noted in the minimally inflamed wrist by joint/soft tissue measurement and in the maximally affected MCP joint by joint/bone ratio. There was no change in the joint ratios employing the Ga-67 citrate radiopharmaceutical. The initial qualitative score assigned to a joint using Tc-99m-MDP was in agreement with the calculated quantitative ratio except for the knee joint. Our results suggest that quantitative scintigraphy in its present format cannot be used as a reliable indicator to monitor the course of rheumatoid arthritis during NSAID therapy and subjective measurements are still the best judge of effective treatment.
 ...
PMID:Quantitative scintigraphy using radiophosphate and radiogallium in patients with rheumatoid arthritis. 347 91

Fifteen patients with classical rheumatoid arthritis were evaluated prospectively on 3 occasions to determine if any additional data could be obtained by joint scintigraphy which was not found by physical examination. Clinical and scan examinations were performed simultaneously and the scans were interpreted qualitatively by a radiologist without knowledge of the clinical findings. Simultaneous evaluations of 86 shoulder, elbow, knee, ankle, 84 wrist, 420 MCP and PIP, and 430 MTP joints were recorded. Concordance was noted in 67% of the evaluations and this was significant for the MCP, PIP, elbow, shoulder, knee, MTP, ankle, but not wrist joints. In 10% of instances the clinical examination was positive when the joint scan was negative. On average, the scan was positive 23% of the time (range 5-44%), when the clinical findings were normal. However, most of these scan abnormalities were due to minimal radionuclide uptake. The scan was most useful in the detection of MTP and ankle abnormalities which had been scored clinically negative, suggesting that greater attention be devoted to the clinical examination of the RA foot by the rheumatologist.
 ...
PMID:A prospective study comparing the clinical examination of peripheral joints with radionuclide scintigraphy in patients with rheumatoid arthritis. 359 61


1 2 3 4 5 6 Next >>