ABSTRACT
<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To explore distinctive manifestations of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients of cold syndrome and heat syndrome using wrist joints ultrasound.</p><p><b>METHOD</b>s Totally 65 RA patients were syndrome typed as cold syndrome (29 cases, cold-damp blockage syndrome) and heat syndrome (36 cases, damp-heat obstruction syndrome). Grey-scale synovitis, power doppler (PD) signals, tenosynovitis, and bone erosion were observed using wrist ultrasound. Distinctive manifestations of cold syndrome and heat syndrome were analyzed using wrist ultrasound.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>In RA patients of cold syndrome, the positive rate of synovitis, PD, tenosynovitis, and bone erosion was 51.72%, 20.68%, 51.72%, and 37.93%, respectively, while they were 97.22%, 91.67%, 75.0%, and 63.89%, respectively in RA patients of heat syndrome. Compared with patients of cold syndrome, the positive rate of synovitis, PD, and bone erosion increased in patients of heat syndrome (P < 0.01, P < 0.01, P < 0.05). There was no statistical difference in the positive rate of tenosynovitis between the two groups (P > 0.05). Compared with the cold syndrome group, there was statistical difference in the constituent ratio of synovitis, PD, and bone erosion in the heat syndrome group (P < 0.01, P < 0.01, P < 0.05), but with no statistical difference in the constituent ratio of tenosynovitis (P > 0.05). Results of the ROC curve showed that the sensitivity was 86.1% and the specificity was 62.1% in judging heat syndrome, when the total score of synovitis in two wrists was more than 1.5; the sensitivity was 80.0% and the specificity was 93.1% in judging heat syndrome, when the total score of PD in two wrists was more than 1.5.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>Positive rates of synovitis, PD, and bone erosion were significantly higher in RA patients of heat syndrome than those of cold syndrome. Especially serious manifestations were more often seen in RA patients of heat syndrome. The total score of synovitis or PD in the two wrist joints higher than 1.5 was characteristic manifestations of heat syndrome using wrist ultrasound.</p>