Ultrasound features of hand and joint in patients with rheumatoid arthritis and its relationship with clinical indicators

Abstract

Objective To study the relationship of ultrasound features of hand and joint with the clinical indicators in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Methods Fifty-two RA patients in Zhengzhou People’s Hospital from June 2016 to March 2018 were randomly selected as the experimental subjects, called observation group. At the same time, 52 healthy persons patients were selected as control group in the same period. Patients in the two groups underwent ultrasound examinations to check synovium thickness of bilateral 1-5 metacarpophalangeal joints, 2-5 proximal interphalangeal joints and wrist joints. At the same time, blood supply, formation of vasospasm, joint effusion of joints were observed, too. Erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), C-reactive protein (CRP), rheumatoid factor (RF), and anti-cyclic citrullinated peptide (anti-CCP) antibodies were detected and compared between the two groups. Results The thicknesses of the synovial membrane of the bilateral 1-5 metacarpophalangeal joints, 2-5 proximal interphalangeal joints and wrist joints of observation group were significantly higher than those of control group (P 0.3 cm in observation group, and the difference was significant between the two groups (P<0.05). The level of ESR, CRP, RF and anti-CCP antibodies of observation group was significantly higher than that of control group (P<0.05), indicated the characteristics of the ultrasound examination in observation group were related to these clinical indicators. Conclusions Ultrasound examination has a certain diagnostic value for RA patients in clinical practice, and it has obvious correlation with the clinical indicators, which can be used as a major examination method of evaluating rheumatoid arthritis. Key words: Rheumatoid arthritis; Hand joint; Ultrasound characteristics; Clinical indicators