Table 2

Involvement of wrists, MCP and PIP joints

ArthralgiaRheumatoid arthritis
DAS28<2.62.6≥DAS28≤5.1DAS28>5.1
No. of affected joints
 Tender joints (0–22)*1 (0–4)0 (0–1)2 (1–6)11 (5–13)
 Swollen joints (0–22)*0 (0–0)0 (0–1)2 (1–4)6 (4–9)
 GSUS>1 (0–22)0 (0–0)0 (0–0)1 (0–2)2 (1–5)
 PDUS>0 (0–22)0 (0–0)0 (0–1)1 (0–4)2 (1–6)
 US synovitis (GSUS>1 and/or PDUS>0) (0–22)0 (0–0)0 (0–1)1 (0–4)2 (1–6)
 GSUS tenosynovitis (0–22)0 (0–0)0 (0–0)0 (0–0)0 (0–1)
 PDUS tenosynovitis (0–22)0 (0–0)0 (0–1)0 (0–2)1 (0–5)
 US inflammation (GSUS>1 and/or PDUS>0 and/or PDUS tenosynovitis) (0–22)0 (0–0)1 (0–2)2 (0–5)3 (2–7)
 MRI joint count (synovitis>0) (0–6)†5 (3–5)4 (4–5)
 MRI joint count (bone marrow oedema) (0–6)†1 (0–1)1 (0–1)
Severity of affected joints
 GSUS joint index (synovitis+tenosynovitis) (0–88)1 (0–1)2 (1–3)5 (2–7)9 (2–13)
 PDUS joint index (synovitis+tenosynovitis) (0–88)0 (0–0)0 (0–2)2 (0–7)5 (2–12)
 US joint index (GSUS synovitis+GSUS tenosynovitis+PDUS synovitis+PDUS tenosynovitis) (0–176)1 (0–1)2 (1–4)6 (3–1)13 (4–27)
 RAMRIS synovitis (0–21)6 (4–8)6 (4–7)
 RAMRIS bone marrow oedema (0–69)1 (0–2)1 (0–2)
 RAMRIS (0–320)13 (8–18)19 (10–23)
 OST joint index‡4.13 (3.42–5.49)4.40 (3.48–5.10)5.90 (4.37–7.49)7.35 (4.27–10.28)
  • Number of affected joints are presented as median (IQR).

  • *Average of the two physical examiners.

  • †MCP 1–5 and radiocarpal and intracarpal joints on right side only, MRI was performed in patients with DAS28<2.6 at recruitment; all patients with DAS28<2.6 at the study day and additionally 7 patients with 2.6≥DAS28≤5.1 (median (IQR) DAS28 of these 7 patients was 3.2 (2.9–3.3)).

  • ‡Kruskal–Wallis one-way analysis of variance p=0.001.

  • DAS, Disease Activity Score; GSUS, grey-scale US; MCP, metacarpophalangeal; OST, optical spectral transmission; PDUS, power Doppler US; PIP, proximal interphalangeal; RAMRIS, Rheumatoid Arthritis MRI Scoring; US, ultrasonography.