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
. 2013:2013:957480.
doi: 10.1155/2013/957480. Epub 2013 Dec 12.

Capillaroscopy in psoriatic and rheumatoid arthritis: a useful tool for differential diagnosis

Dario Graceffa  1 , Beatrice Amorosi  1 , Elisa Maiani  1 , Claudio Bonifati  1 , Maria Sole Chimenti  2 , Roberto Perricone  2 , Aldo Di Carlo  3
Affiliations

Capillaroscopy in psoriatic and rheumatoid arthritis: a useful tool for differential diagnosis

Dario Graceffa et al. Arthritis. 2013.

Abstract

Impairment of capillaries permeability and changes of microcirculation are associated with inflammatory arthritis. In order to demonstrate microvascular differences between psoriatic arthritis (PsA) and rheumatoid arthritis (RA) we analyzed capillaroscopic abnormalities such as megacapillaries, haemorrhages, ramifications, and avascular areas in patients affected by these two rheumatic disorders. Moreover to identify specific capillaroscopy patterns we analyzed the following parameters: venous limb diameter, arterial limb diameter, capillary loop diameter, amplitude of the capillary loop, linear density of capillaries (on 2 mm), and number of twisted capillaries (on 4 mm). Through a comparative morphometric analysis of capillaroscopy, our study demonstrated the presence of specific microvascular differences between PsA and RA providing an additional diagnostic tool for the differential diagnosis. We also suggest that capillaries structural abnormalities might reflect endothelial injury due to systemic inflammation during chronic arthritis.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Capillary dimensions measured in the morphometric study.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Capillaroscopic images of patients with RA and PsA. PsA patient has a higher number of twisted capillaries and a lower density if compared with RA patient.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

See all "Cited by" articles

References

    1. Christophers E. Psoriasis-epidemiology and clinical spectrum. Clinical and Experimental Dermatology. 2001;26(4):314–320. - PubMed
    1. Kane D, Stafford L, Bresniham B, FitzGerard O. A prospective, clinical and radiological study of early psoriatic arthritis: an early synovitis clinic experience. Rheumatology. 2003;42(12):1460–1468. - PubMed
    1. Girolomoni G, Gisondi P. Psoriasis and systemic inflammation: underdiagnosed enthesopathy. Journal of the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology. 2009;23(supplement 1):3–8. - PubMed
    1. Mease PJ, Antoni CE, Gladman DD, Taylor WJ. Psoriatic arthritis assessment tools in clinical trials. Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases. 2005;64(supplement 2):ii49–ii54. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Alessandri C, Priori R, Modesti M, Mancini R, Valesini G. The role of anti-cyclic cytrullinate antibodies testing in rheumatoid arthritis. Clinical Reviews in Allergy and Immunology. 2008;34(1):45–49. - PubMed