RESEARCH: Seronegative arthritis: reexamination of the initial diagnosis and prognosis after 10 years]

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Seronegative arthritis: reexamination of the initial diagnosis and

prognosis after 10 years]

[Article in Spanish]

Castro I, Massardo L, Rios F, Cervilla V, Gutierrez F, Rivero S,

elli S.

Departamento de Inmunologia Clinica y Reumatologia, Facultad de

Medicina de la P, Universidad Catolica de Chile, Santiago de Chile.

Seronegative arthritides are a heterogeneous group of diseases that

includes rheumatoid arthritis with negative rheumatoid factor.

Between 1980 and 1984 we studied 38 patients with seronegative

arthritis. Thirty of these patients were reassessed in 1994 after 9

to 20 years of evolution. Seventeen patients had a diagnosis of

seronegative rheumatoid arthritis; this diagnosis was maintained in

12, changed to seropositive rheumatoid arthritis in three, to

psoriatic arthritis in one and connective tissue disease in one.

Thirteen patients had a diagnosis of undifferentiated arthritis; in

1994 the diagnosis was maintained in three, seven patients were

diagnosed as having a spondyloarthropathy, two as having a reactive

arthritis and one as having a connective tissue disease. In 1994,

nine patients fulfilled the 1991 criteria for spondyloarthritis and

six of these did so on admission. Six of 12 patients with

seronegative rheumatoid arthritis had an active disease or used

antiinflammatory drugs and 64% had erosions on hand X ray

examinations. These figures are in contrast with the enign evolution

classically attributed to this disease and agree with recent reports.

The usefulness of classification criteria for rheumatoid arthritis

and spondyloarthritis in the initial assessment of patients with

seronegative arthritis is emphasized.

PMID: 9213891 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?

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