[The foot in rheumatoid arthritis]

Abstract

Because of its high incidence of rheumatoid arthritis, the foot is probably the best place to study this pathology. Timely diagnosis is very important considering the high risk of disability. On the basis of both other studies and first-hand observations, the particular clinical and radiographic characteristics of rheumatoid arthritis of the foot are analyzed, differentiating it from the same disease in other joints. The research and comparison of these particular aspects helped with the overall clinical evaluation of early-diagnosed rheumatoid arthritis, that is before the development of reabsorption phenomena, bone damage, deformities, and ankylosis of the joints of the foot.