Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2006 Jun;65(6):820-2.
doi: 10.1136/ard.2005.044230. Epub 2005 Nov 16.

Most visits of most patients with rheumatoid arthritis to most rheumatologists do not include a formal quantitative joint count

T Pincus  1 , O G Segurado
Affiliations

Most visits of most patients with rheumatoid arthritis to most rheumatologists do not include a formal quantitative joint count

T Pincus et al. Ann Rheum Dis. 2006 Jun.

Abstract

Objective: To ask rheumatologists about the likelihood of performing a formal joint count at each visit of a patient with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in standard clinical care.

Method: Direct query of rheumatologists at an international meeting of about 600 rheumatologists from 17 European countries.

Results: Overall, 14% of rheumatologists reported performing a formal joint count at each visit of each patient, and 44% of rheumatologists reported performing a formal joint count at more than 50% of visits of patients with RA. Therefore, 56% of rheumatologists reported performing a joint count at fewer than 50% of visits, including 45% at fewer than 25% of visits. One in eight rheumatologists (13%) reported never performing a formal joint count.

Conclusion: Although the joint count remains the most specific measure for RA, most visits of most patients with RA to most rheumatologists do not include a formal quantitative joint count.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

    1. Scott D L, Houssien D A. Joint assessment in rheumatoid arthritis. Br J Rheumatol 19963514–18. - PubMed
    1. Fuchs H A, Brooks R H, Callahan L F, Pincus T. A simplified twenty‐eight joint quantitative articular index in rheumatoid arthritis. Arthritis Rheum 198932531–537. - PubMed
    1. Ritchie D M, Boyle J A, McInnes J M, Jasani M K, Dalakos T G, Grieveson P.et al Clinical studies with an articular index for the assessment of joint tenderness in patients with rheumatoid arthritis. Q J Med 196837393–406. - PubMed
    1. Decker J L. American Rheumatism Association nomenclature and classification of arthritis and rheumatism. Arthritis Rheum 1983261029–1032. - PubMed
    1. Prevoo M L L, van't Hof M A, Kuper H H, van Leeuwen M A, van de Putte L B A, van Riel P L C M. Modified disease activity scores that include twenty‐eight‐joint counts: development and validation in a prospective longitudinal study of patients with rheumatoid arthritis. Arthritis Rheum 19953844–48. - PubMed

Publication types