Swollen, but not tender joints, are independently associated with ultrasound synovitis: results from a longitudinal observational study of patients with established rheumatoid arthritis

摘要

Objectives Joint swelling and tenderness are considered a proxy for inflammation in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). With ultrasound-detected inflammation as reference, our objectives were to explore on patient and joint level the associations between ultrasound synovitis and joint swelling, tenderness and patient-reported joint pain (PRJP).