A reevaluation of the symptom of morning stiffness.
OBJECTIVE
To study, both qualitatively and quantitatively, morning stiffness in consecutive patients attending a rheumatology clinic.


METHODS
A detailed interview from 93 patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and 46 patients with noninflammatory joint disease.


RESULTS
Occurrence, duration and severity of morning stiffness were similar in both groups, as was its detailed qualitative description. Patients with RA with active disease had higher severity scores of morning stiffness than those with inactive disease.


CONCLUSIONS
Morning stiffness is a poor discriminator between RA and noninflammatory joint disease. Its assessment by a severity score is better than one based on duration.
Department of Rheumatology, University Hospital, Leiden, The Netherlands.
J M
JM
Hazes
R
R
Hayton
A J
AJ
Silman
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001172:Arthritis, Rheumatoid / Q000503:physiopathology*; D002940:Circadian Rhythm / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007596:Joints / Q000503:physiopathology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009068:Movement / Q000502:physiology*; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D013997:Time Factors