title: [Benign acute edematous polyarthritis in the elderly. Apropos of 4 cases].
abstract: Four retrospective cases of acute, benign, edematous polyarthritis are reported in elderly patients. These cases have in common a sudden onset of distal edema of the 4 extremities, which is severe, associated with primary or secondary joint pain and an inflammatory syndrome. A picture of symmetrical polyarthritis similar to rheumatoid polyarthritis develops secondarily. This polyarthritis is sero-negative. In less than 2 years, it spontaneously evolves into a complete cure without any clinical or radiological sequelae. This picture appears to be a specific entity in the elderly, different from rheumatoid polyarthritis. Ten identical cases have been reported by McCarty under the name of RS3PE syndrome. The onset with edema, sero-negativity and the spontaneous cure are the main characteristics. The nosology of this disease among "polyarthritis of the elderly", is discussed here.
authors.affiliation: Service de Médecine Interne, Hôpital A.-de Rothschild, Paris.
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Chaouat
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Belange
authors.forename: J M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Leparc
mesh_terms: D000208:Acute Disease; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001172:Arthritis, Rheumatoid / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000276:immunology; D004487:Edema / Q000209:etiology*; D005260:Female; D006680:HLA Antigens; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013577:Syndrome; D013585:Synovitis / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology*
chemical_list: D006680:HLA Antigens
vernacular_title: Polyarthrite aiguë oedémateuse bénigne du sujet âgé. A propos de 4 observations.