Correlation of painless synovitis with clinical, laboratory and radiological (X-ray, sonography) finds in patients with longstanding rheumatoid arthritis (RA)

• Grant number: 12/04867-6
• Support type: Regular Research Grants
• Duration: July 01, 2012 - June 30, 2014
• Field of knowledge: Health Sciences - Medicine - Medical Clinics
• Principal researcher: Rita Nely Vilar Furtado
• Grantee: Rita Nely Vilar Furtado
• Home Institution: Escola Paulista de Medicina (EPM). Universidade Federal de São Paulo (UNIFESP). Campus São Paulo. São Paulo , SP, Brazil
• Assoc. researchers: Daniele Freitas Pereira ; Jamil Natour

Abstract

There is a group of patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) that suffer from chronically painless synovitis in the hands. The mean of this is still unknown and doesn't exist studies in the literature that assessing the predictors of this behavior or synovial potential to cause bone erosion. The objective of this study is to compare painless synovites (called "cold" synovitis) with painfull synovitis according to the sonographic (Gray-scale and power Doppler) findings, articular damage (x-Ray and sonography), clinical, laboratory and demographic variables in RA patients. Methods: Case-control study with RA patients, which will be evaluated metacarpophalangeal joints of patients without local painful. Sixty RA patients will be selected in the Federal University of São Paulo ambulatory (Unifesp). The patients will be divided in two groups of thirty patients each: "painless synovitis" Group and "painfull synovitis" Group. All patients will be measured throught clinical evaluation, hands ultrasound and laboratory parameters (erythrocyte sedimentation rate, ESR; rheumatoid factor, RF; anti-cyclic-citrullinated peptide antibodies, CCP) on the same day. The clinical evaluation will be measured by a trained rheumatologist with experience in joint physical examination (synovitis). This measure will be done before the sonography examination and the assessment tools will be: painful joint count; swollen joint count; painful visual analogue scale (VAS 0-10); swollen VAS; activity disease VAS; measurement of grip strength and pinch with Jamar dynamometer and Preston Pinch Gauge; 44 joint Disease Activity Score (DAS 44); Stanford Health Assessment Questionnaire (HAQ); Cochin Hand Functional Scale (CHFS;, patient clinical evaluation. The level of statistical significance will be 5%. (AU)

Scientific publications

(References retrieved automatically from Web of Science and SciELO through information on FAPESP grants and their corresponding numbers as mentioned in the publications by the authors)

PEREIRA, DANIELE FREITAS; GUTIERREZ, MARWIN; PIROZZI DE BUOSI, ANA LETICIA; MAIA DINIZ FERREIRA, FERNANDO BERNARDES; DRAGHESSI, ANTONELLA; GRASSI, WALTER; NATOUR, JAMIL; VILAR FURTADO, RITA NELY. Is articular pain in rheumatoid arthritis correlated with ultrasound power Doppler findings?. CLINICAL RHEUMATOLOGY, v. 34, n. 11, p. 1975-1979, NOV 2015. (12/04867-6)