Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40390367›Full record

ArticleACR open rheumatology2025

Should Joint Deformity, which is More Common Than Swelling or Tenderness, be Assessed in all Rheumatoid Arthritis Patients and Databases?

Theodore Pincus, Tengfei Li, Kathryn A Gibson

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in ACR open rheumatology, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

3 authors.

Theodore PincusRush University Medical Center, Chicago, Illinois.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8998-8865
Tengfei LiRush University Medical Center, Chicago, Illinois.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5026-1773
Kathryn A GibsonLiverpool Hospital and Ingham Institute for Applied Medical Research, Liverpool, New South Wales, Australia, and University of New South Wales, Medicine and Health, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2331-0311

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectiveWe analyzed 28 joint counts in 173 contemporary routine care patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), who had disease duration of 10 years and were examined in 2021, for swollen joint count (SJC), tender joint count (TJC)/pain on motion, and deformity joint count (DJC)/limited motion. In addition, we computed DJC according to Disease Activity Score in 28 joints (DA28), Clinical Disease Activity Index (CDAI), and Routine Assessment of Patient Index Data 3 (RAPID3) as remission/low or moderate/high activity or severity.

methodsThis report presents a retrospective analyses of a cross-sectional Australian database for medians and prevalences of SJC, TJC, and DJC, including in RA index categories.

resultsMedian values were 0 for SJC, 2.0 for TJC, and 4.0 for DJC, respectively, including SJC of 0,1 in 123 patients (71%), TJC of 0,1 in 82 patients (47%), SJC+TJC of 0,1 in 73 patients (42%), and DJC of 0,1 in 65 patients (38%). Among 4,498 joints, 1,330 with any abnormality included 286 swollen joints (6%), 590 tender joints (13%), 879 deformed joints (20%), 37 only swollen joints (1%), 289 only tender joints (6%), 659 only deformed joints (15%), 458 joints with two abnormalities (10%), and 80 joints with three abnormalities (2%). The 73 of all 173 with patients with SJC and TJC 0,1 (42%), included 56% to 67% who were classified in remission or low DAS28 ESR erythrocyte sedimentation rate, CDAI, or RAPID3 activity or severity, of whom 47% to 58% had DJC ≥2, whereas 11% to 36% were classified as moderate or high RA index activity or severity, of whom 57% to 58% had DJC ≥2.

conclusionSJC+TJC of 0,1 was more common than a DJC of 0,1 in contemporary patients with RA. DJC was ≥2 in the majority of patients who met SJC+TJC remission criteria for RA indices, as in patients who were classified as moderate/high although they met SJC+TJC remission criteria. DJC should be included in long-term routine care and RA databases.

Identifiers

PMID40390367
PMCPMC12089699

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.