The relation between disease activity and Doppler ultrasound in rheumatoid arthritis patients

This study was carried out in Rheumatology and Rehabilitation department, Faculty of Medicine, Zagazig University, on forty five (45) subjects divided into 2 groups:1- GROUP I (Rheumatoid Arthritis Group):It included thirty (30) individuals, suffering from RA, diagnosed according to the 1987 The american rheumatism association criteria (ARA) (Arnett et al., 1988).They were 3 males and 27 females, their ages ranged from (28 – 64) years with a mean value ± SD (48 ± 10.96) years and the duration of the disease ranged from (1 – 26) years.The 1987 revised ARA criteria for the classification of rheumatoid arthritis (Arnett et al., 1988).1-Morning stiffness: Morning stiffness in and around the joints, lasting at least one hour before maximal improvement.2-Arthritis of three or more joint areas: At least three joint areas simultaneously have had soft tissue swelling or fluid (not bony overgrowth alone) observed by a physician. The 14 possible areas are right or left proximal interphalangeal joint (PIP), metacarpophalangeal joint (MCP), wrist, elbow, knee, ankle, and metatarsophalangeal (MTP) joints..