Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41076467›Full record

Observational studyClinical rheumatology2025

Ultrasonographic measurement of talar cartilage thickness in patients with rheumatoid arthritis and healthy controls.

Mazlum Serdar Akaltun, Elif Balbal, Ozlem Altindag, Ali Gur

Abstract readObservational Study
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In one paragraph

Observational study in Clinical rheumatology, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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1 · What the graph read from it

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2 · The registry

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4 · The record

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5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

4 authors.

Mazlum Serdar AkaltunFaculty of Medicine, Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Gaziantep University, Gaziantep, Turkey. mazlum_akaltun@hotmail.com.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-9666-9483
Elif BalbalFaculty of Medicine, Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Gaziantep University, Gaziantep, Turkey.
Ozlem AltindagFaculty of Medicine, Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Gaziantep University, Gaziantep, Turkey.
Ali GurFaculty of Medicine, Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Gaziantep University, Gaziantep, Turkey.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

aimThis study aimed to compare talar cartilage thickness in patients with RA and healthy controls and to investigate its association with clinical and demographic variables.

methodThirty-seven healthy controls and 63 patients with RA diagnosed using the American College of Rheumatology's (ACR) 2010 criteria were included in this cross-sectional observational study. All participants' age, gender, and body mass index (BMI) were recorded. The hospital record system's data was retrieved for the patient group, including medication use, C-reactive protein (CRP), erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), seropositivity, and disease duration. VAS was used to assess pain, and DAS-28 was used to assess disease activity. Talar cartilage thickness measurement was performed by the same doctor as the ultrasound. Descriptive statistics of the data obtained from the study were given by mean, standard deviation for numerical variables, and frequency and percentage analysis for categorical variables. Mann-Whitney U test was used for categorical variables with two groups, and Kruskal Wallis test was used for categorical variables with three or more groups in the comparison of parameters according to categorical variables. Analyses were performed with the help of SPSS 22.0 program. p < 0.05 significance level was selected.

resultsThere was no discernible difference between the patient and control groups in terms of age, height, weight, gender, or BMI values (p > 0.05). Talar cartilage thickness did not significantly correlate with age, BMI, ESR, CRP, CCP, DAS-28 RF, number of swollen joints, or sensitive joints (p > 0,05). However, talar cartilage thickness, VAS, HAQ values, and disease duration were significantly correlated negatively (p < 0.05).

conclusionOur study showed that there is a significant decrease in talar cartilage thickness in RA patients, and this decrease is associated with disease duration, pain severity, and functional impairment. Key Points • Talar cartilage thickness was found to be lower in RA patients compared to the control group • Talar cartilage measurements were negatively correlated with disease duration, VAS and HAQ scores • Talar cartilage thickness may be a potential biomarker for assessing early joint damage and monitoring disease progression in RA.

Indexed as

Arthritis, RheumatoidCartilage, ArticularTalusAdultAgedCase-Control StudiesCross-Sectional StudiesFemaleHumansMaleMiddle AgedSeverity of Illness IndexUltrasonographyAnkleRheumatoid arthritisTalar cartilage

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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.