Natural course of joint destruction and fluctuation of serum C1q levels in patients with rheumatoid arthritis.
Using the number of joints with erosion in a total of 68 joints throughout the body, we studied a population of patients with rheumatoid arthritis whose disease duration was 10-15 years. Three groups, each showing a Poisson distribution, were found: the subset with least erosive disease (LES), the subset with more erosive disease (MES), and the subset with mutilating disease (MUD). The mean number of joints with erosion was 10.9 in LES, 32.2 in MES, and 53.5 in MUD. In LES, erosive articular changes were primarily limited to the peripheral smaller joints. In MES, the larger axial joints were also involved. Almost all joints were extensively damaged in MUD. During the early period of disease, differences between the 3 groups were highly significant in the rapidity of carpal bone destruction, as assessed by the yearly reduction of carpal height ratio (P less than 0.001), and in the serum C1q level (P less than 0.001).
Ochi
T
T
Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Osaka University Medical School, Japan.
Iwase
R
R
Yonemasu
K
K
Matsukawa
M
M
Yoneda
M
M
Yukioka
M
M
Ono
K
K
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001172:Arthritis, Rheumatoid / Q000097:blood / Q000145:classification / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D001175:Arthrography; D003166:Complement Activating Enzymes / Q000032:analysis*; D003172:Complement C1 / Q000032:analysis*; D015922:Complement C1q; D005260:Female; D005384:Finger Joint / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D013997:Time Factors; D014033:Toe Joint / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging
D003172:Complement C1; D015922:Complement C1q; D003166:Complement Activating Enzymes