Morning stiffness precedes the development of rheumatoid arthritis and associates with systemic and subclinical joint inflammation in arthralgia patients.

ABSTRACT:

Objectives

Morning stiffness (MS) is characteristic of RA and associates with markers of systemic and local inflammation in RA patients. In patients with arthralgia, MS is a cardinal symptom to recognize arthralgia at-risk for RA development [i.e. clinically suspect arthralgia (CSA)]. In CSA, MS is also assumed to reflect inflammation, but this has never been studied. Therefore we aimed to study whether MS in CSA patients is associated with systemic and subclinical joint inflammation.

Methods

A total of 575 patients presenting with CSA underwent laboratory investigations and contrast-enhanced 1.5 T MRI of the hand and forefoot (scored according to the Rheumatoid Arthritis MRI Score method). Associations of MS (duration ≥60 min) with the presence of subclinical joint inflamma

SUBMITTER: Krijbolder DI 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9071544 | biostudies-literature | 2022 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature