Thermal Characteristics of the Small Joints of the Hands Between Patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis and Healthy Controls.

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Objectives: This study aimed to investigate the thermal characteristics of the small joints of the hands between patients with Rheumatoid arthritis and healthy controls. Patients and Methods: Fifty-two patients with Rheumatoid arthritis and twenty-six healthy controls were included in the study. Joint tenderness was evaluated using Ritchie Articular index. Joint tenderness was scored from 0 to 3. Thermal data was collected from the hand regions of individuals. A FLIR T450sc microbolometer infrared thermal camera with 320x240 resolution was used for the thermography of individuals. Bilaterally proximal interphalangeal joints (1-5) and metacarpophalangeal joints (1-5) were evaluated. The mean temperature was compared between patients and healthy controls Results: The mean temperature values of the joints in the patients with a Rheumatoid arthritis RAI score of 0, 1, 2,3 were 32.43 ± 1.59°C; 32.71 ± 1.36°C; 33.12 ± 1.23°C; 33.60 ± 0.99 respectively. The mean temperature was 31.14 ± 1.51°C in healthy controls. The mean temperature values of the joints in the Rheumatoid arthritis patients with RAI score of 0 was higher compared to healthy controls (p<0.05). Patients with a Ritchie sensitivity score of 1 had a higher mean temperature compared to patients with score of 0 (p<0.05). In Rheumatoid arthritis patients, the joints with a RAI score of 1 had higher mean temperature values than the joints with RAI score of 0 (p<0.05). The mean temperature values of the joints with RAI score of 2 were also higher than the joints with RAI score of 1 (p<0.05). Conclusion: Thermal imaging may be an objective tool for diagnosis and assessing disease activity in Rheumatoid arthritis.