ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Diagnosing early rheumatoid arthritis is difficult and radiographic signs are often late. MRI detects erosions at an early stage and visualizes synovitis, bone edema and tenosynovitis. AIM: To assess the value of MRI for diagnosis of early forms of rheumatoid arthritis. METHODS: Prospective study involving 20 patients who had non erosive rheumatoid arthritis lasting for less than 2 years. MRI of the hand was performed by sequences coronal and axial T1-weighted, T2 with saturated fat signal (FatSat) FatSat and T1 with gadolinium injection. RESULTS: The median age of patients was 52 years and sex ratio M/F of 0.05. The median disease duration was 9 months. Ten patients had antibodies Anti-Cyclic citrullinated protein positive. The MRI was abnormal in 75% of patients. This review found 36 erosions which 50% were in carpal bones, 55 joints with synovitis mainly localized midcarpal and metacarpophalangeal. Bone edema was found mainly in carpal bones. Tenosynovitis affected most frequently the flexor tendons. Seventy percent of patients without anti-Cyclic citrullinated protein had a pathological MRI. CONCLUSION: MRI has an important role in detecting infraradiological lesions in early RA. This contributes to early diagnosis and initiation effective treatment.
Subject(s)
Arthritis, Rheumatoid/diagnosis , Early Diagnosis , Magnetic Resonance Imaging , Arthritis, Rheumatoid/immunology , Female , Hand/pathology , Hand Bones/pathology , Humans , Longitudinal Studies , Male , Middle Aged , Peptides, Cyclic/blood , Prospective StudiesABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Rheumatic manifestations of genetic hemochromatosis are frequent with axial or peripheral arthropathies (mono-, oligo- or polyarticular). These manifestations are characterized by articular damage and osteoporosis. AIM: To review the rheumatic manifestations of genetic hemochromatosis. METHODS: A narrative review of literature. RESULTS: The diagnosis should be brought to mind when we discover arthropathy resembling degenerative joint disease with involvement of unusual articular sites, almost identical to the arthropathy in calcium pyrophosphate dihydrate crystals deposition disease (chondrocalcinosis). CONCLUSION: There is a significant bone loss in HC that cannot solely be explained by hypogonadism or cirrhosis and must lead to measure bone mass density to each patient with HC.
