TY - JOUR T1 - Early rheumatoid disease. I. Onset. JF - Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases JO - Ann Rheum Dis SP - 357 LP - 360 DO - 10.1136/ard.35.4.357 VL - 35 IS - 4 AU - A Fleming AU - J M Crown AU - M Corbett Y1 - 1976/08/01 UR - http://ard.bmj.com/content/35/4/357.abstract N2 - We describe features with onset in 102 patients seen within the first year of rheumatoid disease. The male:female ratio was approximately 3:4, suggesting a near equal sex incidence at onset. The disease started more often in the colder months and was usually insodious, symmetrical, and involved the upper limbs. The patients were followed prospectively and outcome was assessed after a mean of 4.5 years. Older patients fared worse and there was a trend for a poorer prognosis to be indicated by an insidious onset and early progression to symmetrical involvement. ER -