title: Detecting the earliest signs of rheumatoid arthritis: symptoms and examination.
abstract: Signs and symptoms often occur well in advance of a formal diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). However, these do not necessarily represent symptoms that are included in classification criteria. Their intensity, frequency, and persistence over time seem to be important in the spectrum from preclinical autoimmunity to classifiable RA. Prospective study of signs and symptoms in individuals at risk for RA will help to determine their onset and relationship with epitope spreading, cytokine evolution, sensitive imaging, and their usefulness in discriminating between individuals patients who will develop incident inflammatory arthritis versus normal controls.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Mount Sinai Hospital, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario M5T3L9, Canada.
authors.forename: Tabitha N
authors.initials: TN
authors.lastname: Kung
authors.affiliation: Division of Rheumatology, Hospital for Special Surgery, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, NY 10021, USA. Electronic address: bykerkv@hss.edu.
authors.forename: Vivian P
authors.initials: VP
authors.lastname: Bykerk
mesh_terms: D018771:Arthralgia / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D001172:Arthritis, Rheumatoid / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000503:physiopathology; D042241:Early Diagnosis; D006801:Humans; D007596:Joints / Q000503:physiopathology*; D010808:Physical Examination; D016059:Range of Motion, Articular; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
keywords: Clinical features; Examination; Preclinical disease; Symptoms